{"id":203214,"date":"2025-10-16T02:29:28","date_gmt":"2025-10-16T02:29:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/203214\/"},"modified":"2025-10-16T02:29:28","modified_gmt":"2025-10-16T02:29:28","slug":"meet-the-israeli-leading-googles-ai-revolution-at-deepmind-and-gemini","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/203214\/","title":{"rendered":"Meet the Israeli leading Google\u2019s AI revolution at DeepMind and Gemini"},"content":{"rendered":"

Forget everything you knew about digital photo editing. A new Google<\/a> AI feature nicknamed \u201cNano Banana\u201d is making waves \u2014 some even call it \u201cthe feature that will bury Photoshop.\u201d Officially called Flash Image, it\u2019s part of Google\u2019s latest Gemini<\/a> 2.5 model and enables high-quality image creation and editing in seconds using simple text prompts.Launched by DeepMind<\/a> in August, Nano Banana spread rapidly: what began as a playful campaign\u2014sharing banana images and emojis\u2014led to nearly a billion images created or edited within a month. India leads global usage.<\/p>\n

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Right: Close-up of a butterfly wing Left: Image created by Gemini with the butterfly texture<\/p>\n

(Google)<\/p>\n

The project is led by David Sharon, a senior Google and DeepMind developer originally from Israel. Over the past nine months, he\u2019s directed a team of about 1,000 people working on Gemini, and he also co\u2011leads Veo 3, a companion video AI.<\/p>\n

Veo 3 can generate realistic video clips\u2014up to eight seconds\u2014using text or image prompts with aligned audio and music. Together, Flash Image and Veo 3 allow seamless transitions from static photos to speaking, moving images.<\/p>\n

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What sets Nano Banana apart from other image models is its uncanny consistency: it preserves facial features across transformations. You can change a subject\u2019s wardrobe or environment and still maintain a natural, authentic likeness. Sharon calls that consistency \u201cthe secret sauce.\u201d<\/p>\n

The tool also supports object removal, fine positioning (\u201cmove the chair a little left\u201d), image merging and background replacement. Interior designers, for example, can add or remove items within a photo by a simple command.<\/p>\n

The team has also seen emotionally stirring applications. A caregiver in Mexico used the tool to create a photo of her late grandmother holding her newborn grandchild\u2014and printed it to show to the family. Sharon, named after his grandfather who died in the Six\u2011Day War, used Nano Banana to recreate a grayscale photo of his grandfather\u2014and his grandmother was speechless.<\/p>\n

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Photo of a dog and a woman before editing<\/p>\n

(Google)<\/p>\n

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A composite image of the two hugging created using Nano Banana<\/p>\n

(Google)<\/p>\n

Sharon, 41, lives in Menlo Park, near Google headquarters. He was born in Los Angeles to Israeli parents, returned to Israel as a child, served in the Israel Defense Forces and studied in the U.S. He worked at YouTube for eight years before pivoting to AI\u2014believing generative intelligence would be the next transformative wave.<\/p>\n

In addition to Nano Banana, his team is pushing Veo 3 as a direct competitor to OpenAI\u2019s Sora 2. Both models aim to animate still images, synchronize sound and motion and blur the line between staged scenes and reality. Some creators now use Nano Banana to prepare a precise image and then feed it into Veo 3 for cinematic animation.<\/p>\n

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David Sharon<\/p>\n

(Courtesy of Google)<\/p>\n

Unlike Veo 3, which is maturing rapidly, Sora 2 is currently limited to iPhones and has yet to be broadly released. It is expected to roll out in a social app reminiscent of TikTok.<\/p>\n

Creating tools like Nano Banana is no small feat. David Sharon says the project involves more than 1,000 people from diverse disciplines. Some handle data collection and training, others work on infrastructure, legal compliance, security or turning capabilities into user-friendly applications. \u201cIt\u2019s like the IDF,\u201d he jokes, \u201ceveryone comes from a different unit, but the mission is shared.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Sharon with Abraham Lincoln in a photo created by Nano Banana<\/p>\n

(Google)<\/p>\n

Asked whether coders or creatives contribute more, Sharon insists it\u2019s a team effort. \u201cYou\u2019d be surprised\u2014some of the most magical ideas come from researchers or even marketers,\u201d he says. One standout feature of Nano Banana\u2014generating multiple stylistic versions of a single portrait\u2014was initially developed by a marketing team member who casually experimented with Gemini\u2019s Canvas feature using simple text prompts. Engineers later refined the tool.<\/p>\n

Sometimes features emerge by accident. In one case, a designer doodled an \u201cX\u201d over one figure in a photo. When uploaded to Gemini, the AI automatically removed the marked character\u2014despite no explicit instruction. Another time, a sketched arrow pointing to an open window prompted the model to \u201cclose\u201d it in the image. \u201cIt just did it,\u201d Sharon recalls. \u201cWe were stunned.\u201d<\/p>\n

These moments reinforce what Sharon sees as a key lesson in AI development: \u201cYou need to use the tool, discover its strengths and weaknesses firsthand, and keep an open mind.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

He credits Irina Bloch, a Jewish AI expert from Ukraine on his team, as \u201cthe model whisperer.\u201d According to Sharon, \u201cShe draws amazing insights from every new model\u2014she\u2019s the most creative person I know.\u201d<\/p>\n

Israel plays a critical role in these projects. Sharon works closely with a major engineering group in the country, particularly the team led by Yael Karov, a director at Google AI with over 25 years of experience. \u201cThey\u2019re brilliant problem solvers\u2014not just technical experts, but big-picture thinkers. Each one approaches the product like a CEO,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

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David Sharon as a chef holding an extra-large schnitzel, created in Nano Banana<\/p>\n

(Google)<\/p>\n

Sharon still visits Israel, though less frequently since COVID-19 and the ongoing war. \u201cBy the way,\u201d he adds, \u201cGoogle employees say the Israeli office has the best food in the world\u2014some say Tokyo gives it competition, but I don\u2019t agree.\u201d<\/p>\n

The pace of progress in AI video is dizzying, says David Sharon, and competition is heating up. Just last month, OpenAI announced it was working with Vertigo Films to produce Critterz, the first AI-driven full-length feature. Based on a short demo from 2023, the film will be made by a 30-person team in just nine months on a $30 million budget\u2014sending shockwaves through Hollywood.<\/p>\n

So how close are we to fully AI-generated movies, built entirely from text prompts?<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel like we\u2019re in a spaceship,\u201d Sharon says. \u201cWe\u2019re moving incredibly fast, but the windows are closed, so we don\u2019t know if we\u2019ve passed the Moon and Mars or just left Earth.\u201d Predicting timelines, he says, is nearly impossible\u2014only that the changes are happening \u201cvery quickly.\u201d<\/p>\n

If Google CEO Sundar Pichai asked him to deliver a full-length AI film in a year, Sharon sees two major challenges. \u201cThe script will always need to be human-made. That\u2019s what makes a story relevant and moving.\u201d The second hurdle is technical: while today\u2019s AI can generate \u201cshots\u201d of up to eight seconds, linking them together seamlessly\u2014with consistent voices, environments, objects and soundtracks\u2014remains difficult, especially with human characters, whose appearance must stay uniform across scenes.<\/p>\n

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An example of how to make one character into many different situations using Nano Banana<\/p>\n

(Google)<\/p>\n

Could Google\u2019s deep involvement in AI video threaten smaller players like Israel\u2019s Lightricks? \u201cI don\u2019t think in those terms,\u201d Sharon says. \u201cThe market is enormous, with room for many niches. We\u2019re just at the beginning. What we\u2019ve done in a year now would\u2019ve taken a decade on YouTube.\u201d<\/p>\n

Still, Sharon acknowledges that the same tools revolutionizing media are ripe for misuse\u2014deepfakes and disinformation among them. \u201cOur principle is boldness with responsibility,\u201d he says. Google has invested heavily in safeguards, including dedicated policy and validation teams, \u201cred teams,\u201d and constant monitoring. One of Sharon\u2019s team members is a former senior CIA official.<\/p>\n

To distinguish AI from reality, Google embeds visible and encrypted watermarks, including the digital SynthID. \u201cWe\u2019re also building a public tool that can quickly identify AI-generated images,\u201d he says. Veo 3, for example, cannot be used to generate politicians, celebrities or explicit content.<\/p>\n

That raises a deeper question: if you remove a tree, add a plant or apply a filter to a photo, is it still \u201creal\u201d? Sharon admits these are complex philosophical issues.<\/p>\n

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Pro-Palestinians who broke into Google Cloud’s offices last year<\/p>\n

(Photo: Twitch)<\/p>\n

Life outside the lab has become more challenging too. Since October 7, Israelis abroad face growing hostility, and tech giants like Google have been pressured to cut ties with Israel. \u201cI proudly identify as Israeli,\u201d Sharon says. \u201cI haven\u2019t felt issues in my team, but it\u2019s hard\u2014seeing anti-Israel billboards on highways here, or hearing what my sister went through in New York when an Uber driver spat at her for speaking Hebrew.\u201d<\/p>\n

His wife, originally from France, asked him to remove their mezuzah from the door out of safety concerns. \u201cThat\u2019s how Jews in France live today\u2014and understandably so,\u201d Sharon says. \u201cBut I feel differently. I leave the mezuzah outside. It\u2019s like wearing the jersey of your team.\u201d<\/p>\n

Despite the tension, he also sees a shift. \u201cPeople who\u2019ve worked with me for years\u2014some who never identified as Jewish\u2014are now coming up to say, \u2018My grandmother was Jewish.\u2019 Their view of Israel is changing.\u201d<\/p>\n

And as for rivals, has Zuckerberg offered you a huge paycheck to join Meta? Sharon laughs: \u201cTell him to give me a call\u2014we\u2019ll see what he\u2019s got.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Forget everything you knew about digital photo editing. A new Google AI feature nicknamed \u201cNano Banana\u201d is making…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":203215,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[554,733,4308,86,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-203214","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-artificial-intelligence","tag-ai","tag-artificial-intelligence","tag-artificialintelligence","tag-technology","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/203214","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=203214"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/203214\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/203215"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=203214"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=203214"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=203214"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}