One of the most essential things I do when testing new AI image and video generators is to try to find out whether the claims a company makes are true or marketing fluff. Google promised that nano banana pro would bring Gemini 3’s world understanding and the informational power of Google Search to your AI images. I jumped into the new model as soon as it was released, and frankly, I think Google undersold its capabilities.
The original nano banana model was extremely popular, though like any AI service, there were glaring areas for improvement. There’s one area where I’m already super impressed with the new pro version: It really can handle complex text rendering in images. Nano banana pro can make complex infographics and add captions to images without as many of the usual hallucinations. That’s a game changer, but maybe not in the way we would hope. Throughout my initial testing with pro, that was a constant feeling. The pro model is excellent, if in an extremely unnerving way.
Here’s what my initial testing showed, complete with many nano banana pro images. If you want to try it out for yourself, here’s the cheapest way to access it, along with Google’s new AI image detector.
Ultrarealistic people and characters
The TV show Riverdale gave us no shortage of ridiculous, meme-able dialogue, but nothing is funnier to me than Archie’s line about the “epic highs and lows of high school football.” As someone whose high school football team was three-time state champs, I could see where Archie was coming from. Nano banana pro was able to recreate the moment.
This is a perfect-looking image of KJ Apa, who played Archie, though he isn’t in juvie like he is in the original scene.
Gemini initially denied my request when I used the names “KJ Apa” and “Riverdale” in my prompt (as it absolutely should), but it spit out this too-accurate-looking image after I simply deleted the names. This method didn’t always work — Gemini didn’t flag my request for a scene similar to Legally Blonde, but it didn’t capture Reese Witherspoon’s recognizable likeness, either. But I got two accurate depictions of Dr. Seuss’s The Grinch: the Jim Carrey version and the cartoon one voiced by Benedict Cumberbatch.
Dr. Suess is probably rolling in his grave right now.
While these results are impressive, it’s not a good thing that Gemini is able to create them. Celebrities, public figures and other recognizable folks have voiced concerns about how AI tools make it easier for anyone to create realistic-looking AI versions of them. AI companies have said there are technical barriers and policies in place to prevent abuse, but we’ve already seen how these systems can fail. As new models like nano banana pro become more capable of creating these images and videos, it makes it even harder to tell when something is real or AI.
Ridiculously accurate text rendering in images
Store signs, T-shirt logos and basically any object that requires legible text have long plagued AI image generators. Those errors have been good for us when we look for signs of whether something was created with AI because the text would always be bungled. But nano banana pro almost entirely solves this problem, for better or worse.
AI companies have long aimed to create readable text in their generative media. OpenAI’s first image model — which you might remember spurred a trend of people making Studio Ghibli versions of themselves — was supposed to excel at text generation in images. But my testing showed there were still big problems with it.
Nano banana pro has almost no visible errors in its infographics. Moreover, its designs are clean, well organized and effective. Check out some of the ones I generated.
ChatGPT really struggled with typos and made up fake stages of the water cycle. Nano banana pro excelled.
Nano banana pro relies on sources from Google Search to create infographics.
Nano banana pro infographics can break down complicated topics, like in this very meta design on how AI image generators work.
Nano banana pro was built with Gemini 3 and relies on Google Search’s massive database of online content to create these infographics. But if you don’t want to let Google pick the source, you can include sources you want it to pull from in your prompt. I gave Gemini the link to my in-depth reporting on Hollywood’s AI power struggle to test this, and I have to admit, it’s a really good visual representation of the story.
This does exactly what an infographic should do by condensing the story to its major themes and connecting them. Plus, it included the (old) CNET logo and source as I requested.
Nano banana pro is unnervingly excellent
There have been many watershed moments in the evolution of generative AI. We’ve seen several in just the past six months, with Veo 3 introducing sound in AI videos and Sora making it easier than ever to make deepfakes. The original nano banana model was another, but clearly, the pro model eclipses anything we’ve seen in AI image tech this year or any year before. These nano banana pro AI images are the closest I’ve ever seen to human-created designs and photography. While I am quite impressed with the technical prowess Google is showcasing, it only deepens my concerns about AI tech like this being misused.
I tried to get Gemini to make infographics about dubious pseudoscience theories. It shut down any requests it (correctly) flagged as health misinformation, though it did let one image slip through — showing that the guardrails in place are still imperfect. We’ve already seen how these tools can be used to create racist, abusive and illegal content, despite AI companies’ efforts. Nano banana pro can load bad actors’ arsenals with all the firepower they need. I’m sadly confident it will only be a matter of time before we see nano-banana-created AI imagery attached to viral social media posts or campaigns, with no way for us to determine with our naked eyes whether it’s real or AI.
At the same time, because nano banana pro is the most capable AI image model available, it will be extremely useful. People who want a quick image, help with editing existing images or have an infographic to include in their work will be able to create high-quality results. This is the double-edged sword that is inherent with innovation of generative media, and nano banana pro is the sharpest tool — or weapon — yet.
