The Pixel 8 puts together unique AI wallpapers, you just have to say the magic prompt

Announced first at the Google I/O ‘23 event, Android 14 debuts one of its many AI-related features – the option to generate a unique text-to-image wallpaper for your phone. This is possible on the newly presented duo that’s to hit the stores any day now: the Pixel 8 and the Pixel 8 Pro, which, as we’ve noted, are all about AI.

Under the Create a Wallpaper section in Wallpaper & style, there are two options for the Pixel 8 owners (later, they will allegedly come to older Pixel models) to choose from: one that says “with Emoji”, and one that says “with AI”.

Tapping the “with AI” will then take you to a new screen titled “Choose a theme to get started”: these are different styles to select from and give the Pixel 8 a more precise hint of what you’re aiming at, artistically speaking. There are styles like Classic Art, Soft Focus, Mystical Botanicals, Collage, Dark Theme, Mood, Unexpected Landscape and more – stay tuned for the list as we’ll update it.

Next, you’re taken to a generic wallpaper in the style you’ve chosen (you can also see it in a bubble at the top of the screen). At the bottom, there’s an Inspire Me (at the summer Google I/O ‘23 event, it was called Randomize) button that will help you get that art block out of the way, generating something random.

Just above the Inspire Me button, though, there is a field to form your prompt. This is where you put your wish and the Pixel 8 makes it come true. Notice that there are restrictions as to what the prompt can be – instead of an empty field to write in, this is a template that allows you to change only certain parts of the description. For example, we asked for a “Lighthouse made of cotton in cream and orange”.



As you can see in this photo example, the words “lighthouse”, “cotton” and “cream and orange” are underlined with dots. Tapping each of those words gets Pixel 8 users to an individual sub-menu of different words for objects/materials/colors to choose from and get inspired.

After the Tensor G3 does its magic, it will present you with the scene you’ve asked for in the chosen style – it’s a carousel with several variants to choose from. Notice the Check bubble button at the top. That’s what you tap once you’re satisfied with your creation and it becomes your wallpaper. There’s a section called “Your AI wallpapers” that stores the things you generate and save, allowing one to later come back and marvel at them.

As noted on the Google I/O ‘23 event, these wallpapers should be unique.


While this feature is far from the results one can get with tools like Midjourney and Stable Diffusion, it’s nonetheless a fresh and funny addition to the new Pixel line.