"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. 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."
"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."
"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,"
Google offers its most capable Gemini models for free on the AI Studio developer site despite charging for them on the Gemini app and website. Web traffic to AI Studio surged after the Nano Banana image editor launched and after Gemini 2.0 rolled out, with a notably large jump in August. Similarweb data indicated rapid increases and a 69% weekly rise reported by David Carr. Attracting developers is a strategic priority for AI companies because early ecosystem adoption can lock in usage for APIs, enterprise products, and emerging developer workflows, including vibe coding.
Read at Business Insider
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