Now You Can Create AI Images Instantly Within the Google Search Bar

In December, creating AI-generated art from natural language prompts required visiting specialized websites, but that’s changed! Google has rolled out a feature that allows users opted into its Search Generative Experience (SGE) to generate AI images directly from the standard Search bar.

SGE represents Google’s vision for the future of web searching. Instead of merely displaying a list of websites, it synthesizes responses to users' natural language prompts using the same data those websites offer. With this update, users can input a description—like "a Capybara cooking breakfast"—and receive four unique image options generated by Google's Imagen text-to-image AI in moments. Users can then refine their choices and download the images or save them to Google Drive.

Additionally, image generation can now be initiated directly in Google Images. For example, if you type "minimalist Halloween table settings" or "spooky dog house ideas," Google will create relevant images for you. A particularly exciting feature is the ability to use Google Lens on generated images to find real-world products resembling the AI creations.

However, there are some limitations to be aware of. Users must be signed up for Google Labs and opted into the SGE program to access these features. Currently, image generation is available only in the U.S., in English, and to users aged 18 and older.

To address concerns around the misuse of generative AI, Google has put restrictions in place. Creating photorealistic images of human faces is prohibited, ensuring that while you can have a realistic capybara cooking bacon, generating a lifelike Colonel Sanders doing the same will not be allowed. Additionally, images of notable individuals are restricted.

Google is also incorporating the SynthID system developed by DeepMind, which adds a visually undetectable metadata watermark to generated images. This watermark identifies the image as AI-generated and provides details about its creator and creation date. These features are currently accessible via the Labs tab in the Google app on iOS and Android, as well as on Chrome desktop, with broader availability planned in the near future.