Google just declared itself a contender in AI design at IO 2026

Google announced at its annual Google I/O event on Tuesday that it’s launching Pics, a new AI-powered design and image-generation app for Google Workspace. The tech giant says it designed the app to be accessible to everyone, from teachers to small business owners.

With Pics, users can generate everything from social media graphics and invitations to marketing materials and mock-ups using simple text prompts, without needing any editing skills or advanced tools. By giving users an easy way to generate visuals, Google is looking to take on popular design apps like Canva, as well as products from AI-native competitors like Claude Design from Anthropic. Google’s entry into the space signals that AI-powered design is fast becoming a core competitive arena — with real stakes for any business that depends on visual content.

The new app is launching to a group of testers at I/O and will be rolling out to Google AI Ultra subscribers this summer, Google says.

The company acknowledges that although AI models today can generate high-quality images, it’s still difficult to modify just one part of an image. If you get an image that’s almost perfect but want to change a small detail, you have to write an entirely new prompt and hope the AI doesn’t alter too much. That’s why Pics not only generates images but also makes them easily editable.

Users can enter a prompt, and Pics will generate what they need. Gemini powers the editing layer, making every element in a generated design or image fully adjustable. You can write a new prompt to make changes, but you can also simply click the part you want to change and leave a comment — much like leaving feedback in Google Docs.

You can also edit directly, without leaving a comment or writing a prompt. For example, if you create a birthday party invitation and want to change the time listed on the card, you can do so manually.

Pics is powered by Nano Banana 2, which Google says is a strong fit for the app because it supports precise text rendering, real-world knowledge, and detailed visual output. Pics is also built natively into Google Workspace, enabling visual collaboration across its apps.

Once you’re happy with your design, you can download, copy, print, or share it with others. You can also pass it to someone else for a final round of edits before it goes out, Google says.