5 Hidden AI Innovations in Google Labs
Vivi Carter · 23, July 2025
Google Labs has always been a hotbed for innovation. If you’re familiar with its past creations, you might recall tools like NotebookLM and Whisk—products that showed immense potential to reshape how we interact with and learn from AI. NotebookLM pioneered a revolutionary AI podcasting tool, sparking an entirely new industry vertical. Whisk, on the other hand, improved the consistency and interactivity of character-based image creation—though it now feels overshadowed by advances in GPT-4o and other systems.
At its core, Google Labs’ philosophy revolves around making learning more engaging, improving productivity through intuitive interaction models, and addressing specific, everyday needs via creative AI applications. With over 30 experimental tools in development or already accessible, it is clear Google continues to push boundaries in AI-driven innovation.
Here are five standout applications from Google Labs that, while still in development, offer a glimpse into the potential of AI to enhance creativity, learning, and problem-solving.
National Gallery Mixtape: Linking Art with Music（November 2021）
One of the most imaginative projects in Google Labs, National Gallery Mixtape, bridges visual art and music in a way that feels both intuitive and profound. Its premise is simple: input a painting, and the tool generates a soundtrack that reflects the emotional tone of the artwork. It even identifies the musical instruments and styles used.
For instance, when I uploaded Van Gogh’s _Sunflowers_, the soundtrack leaned heavily on melancholic cello tones. It perfectly juxtaposed the painting’s bright, lively yellows with the sorrow lurking behind Van Gogh’s turbulent life. Similarly, for a dramatic biblical scene of a Babylonian king defying God, the background music conveyed layers of unease, unpredictability, and chaos—a musical reflection of the king’s hubris.
While the tool isn’t perfect yet (e.g., it only works on preloaded artworks, not user-submitted files), it demonstrates an intriguing way to experience art through a multidimensional lens. Rather than relying solely on unwieldy textbooks, National Gallery Mixtape offers a vivid alternative for engaging with the world of art history.
Learn About: Structuring Knowledge with Ease
Learn About takes the chaos out of learning new concepts by offering a structured, step-by-step learning experience. Unlike traditional search engines, which bombard you with scattered and often unrelated information, this tool arranges information into digestible categories.
For example, if you want to learn about "AI agents," Learn About starts by presenting a big-picture summary, outlining the concept's definition, objectives, and features. From there, detailed cards provide in-depth information on related subtopics, enriched with visuals and links to further explore.
The real magic is in its interactive features:
- Simplified summaries for those who need quick overviews.
- Deep dives for researchers or advanced learners seeking exhaustive explanations.
- Visualizations like mind maps that condense the information into clear, memorable formats.
To ensure retention, Learn About even integrates micro-assessments. After reviewing a lesson, you’re asked to write responses or solve short problem sets, which are then analyzed to provide personalized feedback. This feels like a tailored tutoring session powered by AI—a refreshing alternative to rote learning.
Little Language Lessons: A Practical Take on Language Learning
If you’ve ever struggled with conventional language-learning apps like Duolingo（November 2011）—learning sentences that are hilariously impractical, like “There’s a cow in my bathroom”—then Little Language Lessons may feel like a revelation.
This AI-driven tool focuses on practicality, offering lessons tailored to specific real-life needs:
- Topic-based vocabulary for immediate application (e.g., directions, restaurant orders).
- Slang Hang, which teaches colloquial phrases and local expressions through simulated dialogues.
- Word Cam, which uses your phone’s camera to identify objects and generate translations or contextual phrases on the spot.
For instance, if you’re learning Cantonese and need to communicate with a driver, the app quickly teaches the essential vocabulary and phrases you’ll need. While the accents aren’t perfect yet, the overall experience feels laser-focused on real-world usability—a stark contrast to more generalized language apps.
Stitch: The Next Leap for UI Design（July 2023）
If you’ve ever worked in UI/UX design, Stitch might feel like science fiction brought to life. This generative design tool was born from Galileo AI and allows users to create fully functional UI mockups simply by describing their ideas.
With Standard Mode, describe your concept in natural language—like requesting a food delivery app—and Stitch will generate wireframes and design assets within minutes. Equally impressive is its Experimental Mode, which takes hand-drawn sketches or images and transforms them into polished UI layouts.
For professionals already using platforms like Figma, this seamless integration means you can refine AI-generated drafts with traditional design tools. The idea isn’t to replace designers but to supercharge their creativity and reduce the time spent on repetitive tasks.
Portraits: A Career Mentor in Your Pocket（October 2021）
In an era when career guidance often comes from generic Google searches, Portraits offers a deeply custom approach. This tool uses AI avatars modeled after real-world industry leaders to provide specific, practical career advice.
Currently, the tool features Kim Scott, a former Google and Apple executive who specializes in workplace dynamics and leadership. Trained on her books and speeches, the avatar helps users navigate challenging office situations like performance reviews, managing conflicts, and communicating with bosses.
What makes Portraits unique is its holistic approach—it doesn’t just offer theoretical advice. Kim walks you through scenarios in real-time, role-playing conversations to help you practice responses and refine your approach. And while it’s limited to workplace topics, Google plans to expand this concept to other domains—imagine discussing physics with Einstein or space exploration with Elon Musk.
Google Labs: Why It Matters
Google Labs has a long history of fostering innovation. First launched in 2002, the project gave rise to iconic products like Google Maps, Gmail, and Google Scholar. However, the initiative was paused in 2011 as Google shifted focus to its core business priorities. In 2023, Labs reappeared with a fresh goal: nurturing experimental AI-driven projects that could define the next decade.
The new Labs operates with three core principles:
Start Small:
Each project begins with a modest goal, such as reaching 10,000 active users, allowing for lightweight experimentation.
Fast Iteration:
From idea to user testing, many Labs projects are built in just 50-100 days.
Bold Vision:
Each tool considers not only today’s challenges but also the future, aligning with how AI could reshape life in five or ten years.
In the fast-evolving AI ecosystem, breaking traditional boundaries is not just an opportunity—it’s a necessity. And Google Labs, with its playful, curiosity-driven culture, is proving why innovation remains the best measure of growth.
Explore Google Labs and discover these tools here. With the line between creativity, learning, and technology continuing to blur, we’re witnessing just the beginning of how AI will reshape the way we live, work, and dream.
If you’re looking for more AI tools beyond Google Labs, check out platforms like GlobalGPT for a wide range of powerful and practical AI applications.