Google Gemini will let you create AI-generated people again

Google is letting its users generate images of people through its Gemini AI chatbot again after pulling the feature earlier this year amid reports of historically inaccurate images, like racially diverse Nazis. In an announcement, Google says it will roll out an early access version of the capability to Gemini Advanced, Business, and Enterprise users in English “over the coming days.”

This upgrade will be powered by Imagen 3, the latest version of Google’s AI text-to-image generator. Google quietly launched Imagen 3 through its AI Test Kitchen earlier this month, and now it’s coming to Gemini across all languages. The upgraded tool is capable of generating anything from photorealistic landscapes to textured oil paintings with a description of “just a few words.”

Google paused Gemini’s ability to generate images of people in February after users found it created historically inaccurate images. The upgraded Imagen 3 model comes with built-in safeguards and “performs favorably compared to other image generation models available,” Dave Citron, Google’s senior director of product management for Gemini, writes in the announcement.

This isn’t to be confused with Google’s new Remagine feature, which lets you incorporate AI elements into the photos shot on the company’s new lineup of Pixel 9 phones.

Additionally, Gemini won’t allow users to create photorealistic images of public figures; content involving minors; or gory, violent, and sexual scenes. “Of course, not every image Gemini creates will be perfect, but we’ll continue to listen to feedback from early access Gemini Advanced users as we keep improving,” Citron adds. Google plans to expand the ability to create AI-generated people to more users and languages soon.