Credit: Google
TL;DR
- Nano Banana was a last-minute codename cooked up at 2:30 AM for the Gemini image model going live on LMArena.
- The name comes from a Google Product Manager’s personal nicknames, and the internet loved it.
- The branding stuck, went viral, and now lives on as Nano Banana Pro.
If you’ve heard of or used AI image generators, you’ve definitely come across Google’s Nano Banana. Even if you’re not into using AI to create images, you’ve probably seen Nano Banana’s work all over social media. The image model is freakishly good at editing and generating images, and we’re sure that, like us, you’ve always wondered what made Google name it Nano Banana. Now, we finally have the full answer, and the story behind the delightfully silly name.