Google's new AI makes fake photos look real

Technology Dec 05, 2025

Google's latest AI, Nano Banana Pro, is drawing attention by generating images that look just like smartphone photos—think bright lighting and crisp details you'd expect from your own camera roll.

How it pulls off the realism

What really sets Nano Banana Pro apart is its ability to add those subtle noise textures you usually see in real phone pics, something Halide's Ben Sandofsky noted as a hallmark of smartphone photos.
Instead of pulling from Google Photos, the AI uses Google Search to work in extra details—like historical outfits or watermarks—possibly due to its ability to retrieve contextual information, even if you don't ask for them.
It's a big leap for making AI images feel more authentic and packed with context.