Sundar Pichai joins Gemini AI’s Nano Banana figurine trend after 5B milestone

Google CEO Sundar Pichai has hopped on to the latest Gemini AI visual trend that has taken social media by storm. The trend, popularly known as the Nano Banana 3D figurine effect, allows users to turn their photos into realistic miniature figurines in seconds.

Pichai celebrated Gemini’s massive achievement of crossing 5 billion images in under a month by sharing a quirky figurine-style image of himself, thereby adding to the buzz around the new tool.

Sundar Pichai joins Gemini AI’s viral wave

It all started with a post from Josh Woodward, VP, Google Labs, Gemini, & AI Studio, who revealed the scale of Gemini’s success. He tweeted:

“Gemini just passed 5 billion images in less than a month. What a ride, still going! Latest trend: retro selfies of you holding a baby version of you. Can't make this stuff up!”

Reacting to this, Google CEO Sundar Pichai shared his own Gemini-generated visual and humorously wrote:

“Make that 5 billion and 1.”

The image showed the Google CEO as a 3D figurine, perfectly showcasing the Nano Banana trend’s creativity.

What is the ‘Nano Banana 3D figurine’ trend?

The Nano Banana effect is part of Gemini AI’s image editing feature that allows users to generate miniature figurine-style visuals from regular photographs. Google explained the trend in a social media post:

“People are having fun turning their photos into images of custom miniature figures, thanks to nano-banana in Gemini. Try a pic of yourself, a cool nature shot, a family photo, or a shot of your pup.”

This effect has quickly become a global AI trend, with users experimenting by turning personal photos, pet shots, and even landscapes into collectible-style figurines.

What prompt to use for Nano Banana figurines?

To recreate the viral effect, Google has also shared a sample prompt for users:

“Create a 1/7 scale commercialized figurine of the characters in the picture, in a realistic style, in a real environment. The figurine is placed on a computer desk. The figurine has a round transparent acrylic base, with no text on the base. The content on the computer screen is a 3D modeling process of this figurine. Next to the computer screen is a toy packaging box, designed in a style reminiscent of high-quality collectible figures, printed with original artwork. The packaging features two-dimensional flat illustrations.”

By using this prompt, users can generate hyper-detailed 3D styled visuals that resemble professional collectible figures.

Why it matters

Gemini AI’s rapid adoption highlights the growing popularity of AI-powered creativity tools. Achieving 5 billion images in less than a month not only sets a benchmark in AI adoption but also shows how AI tools are becoming mainstream in digital content creation, much like how Google’s own CEO is engaging with them.

Conclusion

Sundar Pichai’s playful embrace of the Nano Banana figurine trend shows how even top tech leaders are engaging with AI-powered creativity. With Gemini AI already surpassing 5 billion images, the tool is redefining how people interact with visuals online—turning selfies, pet pictures, and everyday moments into collectible figurine-style art. As the Nano Banana trend spreads globally, it underscores Google’s vision of making AI accessible, fun, and deeply integrated into popular culture.