Google announced Tuesday at its annual Google I/O event that it is launching Pics, a new AI-powered design and image creation app for Google Workspace. The tech giant said it designed the app to be accessible to everyone, from teachers to small business owners.
Pics allows users to create everything from social media graphics and invitations to marketing materials and mockups using simple text prompts, without editing skills or advanced tools. By giving users an easy way to create visual elements, Google is looking to take on popular design apps like Canva, as well as the products of AI-powered rivals like Anthropic’s Claude Design. Google’s foray into space signals that AI-powered design is fast becoming a key competitive area with real implications for all businesses that rely on visual content.
The new app will be released to a group of testers at I/O and will be released to Google AI Ultra subscribers this summer, Google said.
The company acknowledges that although AI models today can produce high-quality images, it is still difficult to modify just one part of an image. You’ve got an almost perfect image, but if you want to change a small detail, you’ll have to write a whole new prompt and hope the AI doesn’t change it too much. That’s why Pics allows you to not only create images but also edit them easily.
When the user enters the prompt, Pics generates what is needed. Gemini powers the editing layer, making every element of the created design or image fully adjustable. You can create a new message for your changes, but you can also click on the part you want to change and leave a comment, similar to leaving feedback in Google Docs.
You can also edit directly without leaving a comment or writing a message. For example, if you are creating a birthday party invitation and want to change the time shown on the card, you can do so manually.
Pics is powered by Nano Banana 2. Google says it’s a great fit for this app because it supports accurate text rendering, real-world knowledge, and detailed visual output. Pics is also built into Google Workspace, enabling visual collaboration across apps.
Once you’re happy with your design, you can download, copy, print, or share it with others. Google says you can also forward it to someone else for final editing.
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