There’s a little secret about Google’s AI. Want in?
Google charges users to access its latest and most capable AI through its Gemini website and app. However, you can use those same models for free on the AI Studio website, which is Google’s developer playground.
It seems the secret is well and truly out: data from Similarweb, which analyzes web traffic, shows that visits to Google AI Studio have rocketed following the launch of its image editor, Nano Banana.
The data shows a big jump last December, when Google rolled out Gemini 2.0, a significant update on its flagship model. While there have been further spikes since, none compare to the latest August jump.
Similarweb
“Based on the timing, we saw it as a result of the Nano Banana image generator release and developers exploring how they might build it into their own products,” David Carr, Similarweb’s editor of news and research, told Business Insider. He said that last week’s traffic was up 69% from where it was two weeks ago.
The exploding popularity of AI Studio could serve Google well in the AI wars. Developers are a big battleground among AI companies: if they can get developers into their AI ecosystem early, they have a better chance of keeping them there and away from rivals.
Google, OpenAI, and other tech companies want to capture that inertia early, especially as a lot of the big money in AI could come from developer tools like APIs and enterprise products. And as vibe coding changes the very definition of what a developer is, Google is also trying to capture the next generation of software engineers.
Google benefits from keeping AI Studio free because it allows developers to easily interact with the models and gives them more granular control over their behavior. The company charges users who want more extensive use.
Related stories
Business Insider tells the innovative stories you want to know
Business Insider tells the innovative stories you want to know
“We have already seen thousands of new Gemini-powered products put into production in just the last few weeks alone, a further acceleration of Gemini adoption,” AI Studio product lead Logan Kilpatrick told Business Insider in a statement. “Our commitment is to make Google the best place for developers to build with AI, and what you’re seeing now is just the beginning of that investment.”
The recent rocket in visits to AI Studio was a “narrative violation,” Olivia Moore, a partner at Andreessen Horowitz, posted on X.
“It’s incredibly rare to see a developer product rank among sites targeting consumers,” she wrote.
So why would anyone pay for Gemini? The consumer-facing website is more user-friendly and has an app, which is why Google tries to point non-developers toward it.
And of course, nothing is ever truly free. The terms of service make clear that Google may use any data you put into AI Studio “to provide, improve, and develop Google products and services and machine learning technologies.” A Google spokesperson said that paid usage data is not used to train AI.
It’s not clear how much of the recent surge in users is developers versus people simply keen to try Nano Banana. Either way, Google finally got its own Ghibli moment.
Have something to share? Contact this reporter via email at hlangley@businessinsider.com or Signal at 628-228-1836. Use a personal email address and a non-work device; here’s our guide to sharing information securely.
