After a string of major AI launches earlier this week, Google now appears to be working on integrating an AI-powered meme generator directly into Gboard — the default and most popular keyboard app on Android. Internally, the project is being referred to as “Meme Studio” and is aimed at offering users a simple way to create memes, according to a report by Android Authority.
Reportedly, the upcoming Gboard feature will allow users to pick a base image and add their own captions. The report mentions that users will have access to hundreds of base images, and selecting one will open an editor interface. In this stage, users can move or rotate the text, adjust its scale, and add extra captions. However, there currently appears to be no option to change the font or text colour — though this could change by the time the feature rolls out to all users.
There will also be a “Generate” option in Meme Studio, where the built-in AI can automatically select a base image and generate captions based on a topic. The report adds that the feature will include advanced filters and safeguards to prevent the creation of explicit or offensive content.
AI-generated images taking over the internet:
While AI image generators have been around for a while, the feature has only recently begun to gain wider recognition. ChatGPT, in particular, recently came into the spotlight after OpenAI unlocked its native image generation capabilities, allowing the chatbot to create more detailed and accurate images, including editing real-life images.
Soon after, social media users began transforming their real-life photos into Studio Ghibli-style illustrations and, more recently, action figure themes. Around the same time, xAI’s Grok also attracted attention, with users flocking to Elon Musk’s chatbot as an alternative to ChatGPT.
One of the use cases for native image generation is the ability to create more nuanced memes, similar to those created by a human.
While ChatGPT has received much of the credit for popularising native image generation, Google had actually introduced similar capabilities in its Gemini 2.0 Flash model just days earlier. With the launch of its new Meme Studio feature, Google may be looking to reclaim the spotlight and highlight the multimodal strengths of its AI.
