NEW YORK, Aug 6: Google has launched a new feature within its Gemini AI chatbot called Storybook, enabling users to generate illustrated stories simply by describing them. The tool produces 10-page stories, each containing a brief paragraph of text that Gemini can read aloud, accompanied by an illustration.

Users can customize their stories by requesting specific art styles, including claymation, anime, comics, and others. Additionally, the feature allows the upload of photos or images to serve as references, such as a child’s drawing, which Gemini can then incorporate into the story.

While testing the tool, some inconsistencies were observed in the AI-generated illustrations. For example, one fish in a story about an aquarium was depicted with a human arm. Another story featured a page where spaghetti sauce resembled a cartoon crime scene, and an image of a mother and son watching TV had the screen positioned incorrectly. Further anomalies were noted in Google’s promotional video for the feature, where a woman constructing a spaceship held indistinguishable tools.

Despite occasional oddities in character design and visual elements, most stories generated by the chatbot appeared standard for AI-produced children’s literature. However, the AI’s interpretation did not always align with user expectations, as seen when an uploaded cartoon cat drawing did not inspire the desired artistic style.

The Storybook feature is accessible worldwide on both desktop and mobile platforms, supporting over 45 languages that Gemini currently offers. Users begin by describing any story idea in the initial prompt. Gemini then provides a text preview before generating the storybook, which appears in a dual-column interface — story content on the right and a chat window on the left for customization.

Art style options are extensive, ranging from pixel art and comics to crochet and coloring book designs. The final product consists of a 10-page book featuring generated illustrations and audio narration, with options to adjust the voice pitch. Users can share the story via link or download it for printing.

The introduction of the Storybook feature aims to provide families with an easy-to-use tool for creating personalized, illustrated storybooks, enriching the interactive experience with read-aloud narration and broad language support.