Google’s AI Studio, once a hidden gem for developers, has suddenly become impossible to ignore. While the company charges users for access to its most advanced AI models through the consumer-facing Gemini website and app, the AI Studio platform offers the same powerful tools for free—giving developers a deeper, more flexible experience. Now, that secret is no longer so well kept. Data from Similarweb shows a dramatic surge in traffic to Google AI Studio, especially in August, following the launch of Nano Banana, a new image generation tool. The spike marks the biggest jump yet, with visits rising 69% in just two weeks. This surge follows earlier increases tied to the release of Gemini 2.0 in December, but none have matched the recent momentum. David Carr, editor of news and research at Similarweb, attributes the latest spike to the Nano Banana release and the excitement it’s generated among developers eager to explore how they can integrate such tools into their own applications. “Based on the timing, we saw it as a result of the Nano Banana image generator release and developers exploring how they might build it into their own products,” Carr said. This growing interest underscores the importance of developers in the AI race. Companies like Google, OpenAI, and Anthropic are competing fiercely to win over developers early, knowing that once they’re embedded in a platform’s ecosystem, they’re more likely to stay. The future of AI revenue may lie in developer tools—APIs, enterprise solutions, and platforms that enable innovation at scale. As “vibe coding” blurs the line between traditional developers and casual users, Google is also positioning itself to attract the next generation of software creators. AI Studio’s free access gives developers granular control over model behavior and faster iteration, which is crucial for building and testing new applications. In contrast, the consumer version of Gemini is more polished and user-friendly, with a dedicated app—making it the preferred entry point for non-technical users. Still, nothing is truly free. Google’s terms of service state that any data uploaded to AI Studio may be used to improve Google’s products and machine learning technologies. However, a company spokesperson clarified that data from paid usage is not used to train AI models. It’s unclear how much of the recent traffic comes from professional developers versus curious individuals drawn by the novelty of Nano Banana. But one thing is certain: Google has finally achieved its own “Ghibli moment”—a viral, culturally resonant moment in the AI space. The company’s strategy of offering powerful tools freely to developers is paying off, turning AI Studio into a key battleground in the broader war for AI dominance.