The developers of Google’s popular AI image generator have been working so hard on its release that they postponed choosing its public codename for LMArena until the last moment.
The developers of Google’s popular AI image generator have been working so hard on its release that they postponed choosing its public codename for LMArena until the last moment.
The team quickly settled on a technical name — Gemini 2.5 Flash Image. But the public LMArena platform, designed to evaluate artificial intelligence models, first needed a codename, Google said in a post.
LMArena showcases released models, but it is also a powerful testing ground. Teams often submit models that are still in development to gather early performance signals and real-world feedback from people. Since these models are still being refined, using a codename is extremely important.
«We kept putting off discussing the code name until the last minute. So at 2:30 a.m., one of the managers texted me that we needed to submit it, and I said, ‘Okay, how about something funny, like ‘Nano Banana’?’ And they said, ‘Yeah, sure. That makes no sense at all,’» said product manager Naina Risingani.
Nano Banana turned out to be a variation of her nicknames.
«Some of my friends call me Naina Banana, and others call me Nano because I’m short, and I love computers. So I just combined my two nicknames. And it worked because it was a Flash model», Naina said.
The team unveiled the Nano Banana at LMArena in early August and caught the attention of users with its exceptional image-generating abilities. AI enthusiasts tried to figure out who was behind the model, and most suspected it was Google.
«People responded really well. They were really impressed, and then they thought the name was funny, and it sparked a heated discussion», says Naina.
While the technical name officially remained Gemini 2.5 Flash Image, the Nano Banana brand stuck. The team supported the idea by making the Nano Banana launch button in AI Studio yellow, adding a banana emoji to the Create Image feature in the Gemini app, and even creating a limited edition banana-themed souvenir. With the release of Gemini 3 Pro Image, its brand also received an update: Nano Banana Pro.
«We agreed with this silliness. We adopted the banana emoji as one of us. The team was divided on the banana puns. But we’re glad people are liking this model», says Naina.
