Google's experimental AI playground, Google Labs, is where the company tests its most forward-thinking ideas before they reach the mainstream. One of its standout tools, Mixboard, has evolved from a simple digital idea board into a powerful creative workspace. The latest update, rolling out now, integrates Google's advanced Nano Banana Pro image model, enabling users to transform their messy brainstorming sessions into polished, professional presentations entirely through AI.
Mixboard's New Presentation Engine Powered by Nano Banana Pro
The core of this update is the integration of Nano Banana Pro, also known internally as Gemini 3 Pro Image. This specialized text-to-image model is designed to create graphics with clear, legible text, making it uniquely suited for presentation design. Users can now select a "Transform" option within a Mixboard project. The AI analyzes all the content on the board—including text, uploaded images, sketches, and layout—and uses that context, combined with user prompts about style and focus, to generate a complete slide deck. Google notes that this process takes approximately 20 minutes, with generation times potentially fluctuating based on server load.
Key Feature: Presentation Generation
- AI Model: Nano Banana Pro (Gemini 3 Pro Image)
- Input: Entire Mixboard canvas (text, images, layout)
- User Guidance: Text prompts for style/goal, selection of preset visual styles
- Output Options: Visual slide deck or read-only document
- Processing Time: ~20 minutes (variable based on server load)
A Flexible Tool for Visualizing and Sharing Ideas
Mixboard's strength lies in its flexibility as an initial canvas. It supports a wide array of content, from handwritten notes and sketches to uploaded photos and, newly, PDF files. The platform has also added a built-in "selfie" camera for quick photo capture and a markup tool that allows users to doodle directly on images to guide AI edits. This makes it ideal for early-stage brainstorming, whether for a work project, a party plan, or a personal vision board. The new presentation feature then acts as the final step, structuring that raw creativity into a shareable format, be it a visual deck for a live pitch or a read-only document for distribution.
New Mixboard Capabilities
- File Support: Upload PDFs, images; new built-in selfie camera.
- Editing: Doodle-based markup tool to guide AI image edits.
- Workspace: Support for multiple boards within a single project.
- Availability: Rolling out in Mixboard via Google Labs.
User Experience and Practical Applications
Early testing shows the feature is intuitive. Users guide the AI by choosing a presentation format and entering a text prompt to define the goal and aesthetic, such as "professional tech pitch" or "creative storybook." They can also select from preset visual styles like photography, analog film, or illustration. The result is a deck where AI has enhanced images for sharper fidelity, generated new visuals where needed, and arranged content with clean typography. For professionals, it streamlines the transition from concept to client-ready material. For casual users, it lowers the barrier to creating visually compelling presentations without any design software skills.
The Evolving Landscape of AI-Powered Creativity Tools
This update positions Mixboard as a more direct competitor to consumer-friendly design platforms, but with a distinct AI-native workflow. Instead of manually dragging and dropping elements, the user provides high-level direction and lets the AI handle composition and styling. As an experimental tool, Mixboard still has limits on generations and requires a wait time, but it showcases Google's vision for AI as a collaborative partner in the creative process. It moves beyond simple text or image generation into the realm of synthesizing and structuring multimodal content into a coherent narrative.
Looking Ahead for Mixboard and Google Labs
While still labeled an experiment, Mixboard's rapid addition of features like PDF support, multi-board projects, and now AI-generated presentations signals Google's serious investment in its development. The tool is evolving from a niche brainstorming app into a comprehensive workspace for visual planning. Its success will depend on the reliability and quality of the AI output, as well as how intuitively it handles complex, real-world projects. For now, it offers a compelling glimpse into a future where organizing ideas and communicating them visually is a seamless, AI-assisted experience.