How India Is Shaping Google’s Nano Banana AI Image Trend
India’s Creative Boom with Google’s Nano Banana AI Model
India has become the epicenter of a global creative surge powered by Google’s latest AI image-generation model, Gemini 2.5 Flash Image—popularly known as Nano Banana. Since its recent release, Indian users have embraced the tool with immense enthusiasm, driving the Gemini app to the top of both the App Store and Google Play charts nationwide.
India Leads in AI Image Generation
With the world’s second-largest smartphone market and a vast online population, it’s no surprise that India is leading Nano Banana adoption. But it’s not just about numbers: the ways Indians are using the AI are highly distinctive and creative.
- Retro Bollywood Portraits: Many users are reimagining themselves in 1990s Bollywood style, complete with period-specific fashion and makeup.
- "AI Saree" Trend: People are generating vintage-style portraits wearing traditional Indian attire, blending nostalgia with modern tech.
- Landmark Selfies: Indians are placing their AI-generated selves in front of famous sites like Big Ben or classic UK telephone booths.
- Miniature Figurines: Inspired by a trend from Southeast Asia but popularized in India, users create mini versions of themselves, often in quirky settings.
- Time-Travel and Postage Stamps: Some experiment with black-and-white or retro effects, or imagine meetings with their younger selves.
Impact on App Popularity and User Growth
Between January and August, Gemini averaged 1.9 million monthly downloads in India—about 55% more than in the U.S.—and accounted for 16.6% of global downloads. Following the September 1 Nano Banana update, daily installs soared, peaking at 414,000 on September 13. This surge pushed Gemini to the number one spot across both major app marketplaces in India.
Monetization and Spending Trends
While India leads in downloads, it lags in in-app purchases. Globally, Gemini has generated about $6.4 million in consumer spending on iOS, with the U.S. representing 35% of that, while India’s share is 1.5%. However, India’s month-over-month spending growth reached 18%, far outpacing the global average.
Privacy and Safety Concerns
With millions uploading personal photos, privacy has become a key concern. Google has responded by placing visible watermarks and embedding hidden SynthID markers in all AI-generated images. The company is also testing a public detection platform to help users verify the origin of AI-generated content.
David Sharon, Google DeepMind’s multimodal generation lead, emphasized the importance of user feedback in shaping the platform’s safety measures, noting: “This is still day one, and we’re still learning, and we’re learning together.”
The Road Ahead
India’s creative adoption of Nano Banana is not just fueling app downloads—it’s influencing global AI trends and showcasing how localized inspiration can drive mass engagement. As more features and safeguards roll out, expect India’s creative experiments to keep shaping the future of AI-generated imagery.
