Google Gemini AI Photo Trend Privacy Concerns: Should You Be Worried After Using?

The viral image-edit trend, powered by Google Gemini's 'Nano Banana' AI image generator, has gripped the internet, with users flocking to Gemini to create highly realistic images.

However, as the trend picks up further, some have raised genuine concerns about privacy, fueling questions over how much the system really knows.

The Gemini Nano Banana tool allows users to upload photos or selfies of themselves and then apply prompts to alter that corresponding image.

Netizens have been using prompts such as putting on a saree, changing backgrounds or even producing a stylised '3D figurines'.

Some users are also generating 'couple photos' alongside their favourite celebrities.

As users continue to flock to Gemini AI to edit their images through the Nano Banana tool, some have come across eerie details, with one Instagram user reporting images that included a 'mole' that was not present in the original photo.

These cases have led to fears that the AI might be tapping into users' past images to generate these 'personalised' elements.

According to Google, images generated with Gemini carry an invisible watermark called SynthID, along with regular metadata tags to help mark content as AI-generated.

However, Google's terms indicate that unless users disable the "AI training" setting, uploaded content may be used to improve models and analytics.

This may include recognised faces, texts or visual clues that the AI uses to 'learn' or 'train' itself.

Critics say users may not always realise how much data is collected or how it might be used over a long period of time.