Gemini can now create AI images for everyone, but not of people without a subscription

Google has opened its AI image generator to everyone who uses Gemini, both on mobile and desktop. The feature, which was previously reserved for paying users, now uses the Imagen 3 model by default to create images from a text description.

This means you can ask Gemini for free to draw just about anything: animals, landscapes, buildings and objects. The images are delivered in high resolution (2048x2048 pixels) as JPEG files, and there is no fixed daily cap on how many images you can create.

People require payment

There is, however, a clear exception: If you want Gemini to generate images of people, you have to upgrade to Gemini Advanced. That subscription costs around DKK 140 a month and is part of Google's paid package Google One AI Premium.

For regular, free users, this means you can ask for a picture of a dog at sunset or a futuristic house, but not for a portrait of a person or a scene with people in it. The restriction applies specifically to people; animals and other subjects are not subject to the same rule.

Why the restriction?

Google has previously had problems with its image generator, when in 2024 it created historically inaccurate images of people, including depicting America's Founding Fathers as an ethnically diverse group. That led Google at the time to temporarily stop generating images of people altogether while it fixed the technology.

The current split, where images of people require a paid subscription, appears to be Google's way of keeping extra control over the part of the feature that has historically caused the most problems and raised the most questions about misuse, such as fake images of real people.

For Danish users who just want to play with free AI images of landscapes or fantasy figures, the news changes nothing. But if you want AI to draw people, you'll have to open your wallet.

What it means for you

If you use Gemini for fun or to create images of landscapes, animals or things, you can now do it completely free, with no extra steps. If, on the other hand, you want AI to create portraits or scenes with people, you have to upgrade to Gemini Advanced for around DKK 140 a month. So check whether your task requires people in the image before you start, so you don't suddenly hit a paywall.