Google Meet Brings AI-Powered Custom Backgrounds Feature: How It Works – News18

Google Meet, the popular real-time meetings app, is now going to use generative AI to create custom backgrounds for meetings. This feature, which was first announced at Google I/O 2023, allows users to create custom backgrounds for specific meetings. For example, if you need a virtual background of a garden for a meeting, you can generate it using a prompt. You can also create an office background if you need one, and more.

As spotted by Artem Russakovskii, to use this feature, users must first open Google Meet, then select a meeting and click ‘Apply Visual Effects.’ Finally, they must click ‘Generate a Background.’ However, this feature is currently under testing in the Google Workspace Labs program and is only available on desktop.

“On Google Meet, you can use the “Generate a background” prompt to create background images using artificial intelligence. For example, you can ask Google Meet to create an illustration of a magical forest,” Google said.

Further, users will be able to select a style to “customize the background image you create.” And they will be able to click on ‘Create samples’ to see suggested background images by Google Meet.

Google also says that to achieve better looking  results, users should try including references to “a style or mood, a setting, and objects in the environment.” For instance: “A cozy coffee shop with flowers.”

Users who wish to test the feature must sign up for Google’s Workspace Labs program, and the official support document provides a full overview of the feature.