Google Integrates Opal into Gemini for No-Code Mini-Apps

Google announced on Wednesday that it is integrating its experimental Opal tool directly into the web version of its Gemini AI chatbot, enabling users to create and reuse custom AI-powered mini-apps without writing code. The feature, available immediately at gemini.google.com, expands the capabilities of Gemini's Gems, which are tailored versions of the AI designed for specific tasks.

Opal, first introduced in July 2024 as part of Google Labs, functions as a no-code platform that allows users to build mini-apps by describing their desired functionality in natural language. Once a user inputs a prompt, such as outlining a workflow for a brainstorming session or a coding assistant, Gemini and Opal collaborate to generate the app using various AI models. The resulting mini-apps, classified as experimental Gems, chain together prompts, model interactions, and tools into visual interfaces with multistep workflows. Google handles hosting, so users can share and reuse these apps without additional setup.

To access the tool, users navigate to the Gems manager in the Gemini web app via the menu. There, they encounter a banner promoting the creation of "AI apps, a new kind of Gem from...