Google Fires Back at Canva with Pics, a Bundled AI Design Tool
Google has launched Pics, an AI image creation and editing tool, directly into Google Workspace, starting with Docs and Slides. The launch is a direct shot at Canva, which had its valuation cut by $7.1 billion just three weeks prior. Google's approach of bundling the feature inside a productivity suite already used by hundreds of millions of people is seen as a cost-effective way to compete with established players in the design software market.
Pics uses the Nano Banana Pro Engine, an image-generation model family that Google has been iterating on throughout 2026. The tool allows users to prompt for an image or edit directly inside Docs or Slides, collapsing a workflow that previously required switching between three or four tools into one panel.
Access to Pics is bundled rather than sold as a standalone add-on and requires a Google AI Pro subscription at $19.99 a month, a Google AI Ultra subscription starting at $99.99 a month, or a qualifying Workspace Business or Enterprise plan with Gemini access turned on.