Google Slides is a powerful tool, but crafting a full presentation can still be time-consuming. Recently, Google introduced Gemini integration on Slides and all workspace apps. Now, you only need text prompts to create engaging presentations and high-quality images for your slides. I had to see it myself, and I decided to experiment with Gemini and tasked it with building a complete presentation.
In this post, I share my journey and reveal how Gemini handled the challenge and whether it delivers on the promise of effortless presentations.
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Accessing Gemini in Google Slides: Requirements
Before you fire up Google Sheets on the web, let’s go over the requirements. While several Gemini models are free to download and use, you’ll pay extra to unlock the AI assistant in Google’s productivity apps.
You must purchase the Gemini Advanced plan at $20 per month. After that, the Gemini option appears on Docs, Sheets, Gmail, Google Drive, and Slides. Google also offers a month of free trial to eligible users.
Since Google Slides is a web solution, you can explore Gemini integration on Windows desktops, Macs, and Chromebooks.
Exploring Gemini in Google Slides
Generate slides using a text prompt
After enabling Gemini in Google Slides, it’s time to check it in action. In the example below, I will create a presentation about the benefits of a healthy lifestyle. I aim to cover the benefits of nutrition, regular exercise, mental well-being, and stress management. Follow the steps below.
- Launch Google Slides on the web and sign in with your Google account details. Start with a blank presentation.
- Open Gemini from the upper-right corner and write a prompt.
Writing a prompt is a crucial part of your presentation process. Since it’s a broad and adaptable topic, be as descriptive as possible. In our case, I will write a prompt below for my introduction slide.
Generate a slide with the title “The Benefits of a Healthy Lifestyle.” Add a short definition of a healthy lifestyle, emphasizing the balance of physical, mental, and nutritional well-being.
Here is what Gemini came up with. You can retry it if you are not satisfied with the results and click Insert to add it.
Now, click + to add a new slide and continue writing prompts to generate new slides for your presentation.
Create a slide titled “Nutrition: Fueling Your Body.” Add information about the importance of fruits and vegetables.
Unlike Copilot in PowerPoint, you can’t create multiple slides at once. You must describe every slide separately. So, make sure to plan the outline of your presentation.
After that, I created four new slides using the text prompts below.
Create a slide titled, “Exercise: Moving for a Healthier You.” Add information about the recommended amount of exercise per week.
Create a slide titled, “Mental Well-being: Finding Your Inner Peace.” Add bullet points on good sleeping habits.
Generate a slide listing the benefits of a healthy lifestyle, including increased energy, improved mood, and better sleep.
Create a conclusion slide with practical steps to adopt a healthier lifestyle. Include action-oriented bullet points.
There were a few instances where I wasn’t satisfied with the results. So, I asked Gemini to recreate those slides. Also, it won’t wow you with eye-catching slide designs and animations. You need to add them manually and complete your presentation.
At any point, you can type @file name and ask Gemini to refer to a document from your Google Drive account. For example, if you wrote a vegetarian diet in a document, you can ask Gemini to refer to it for your presentation slides.
You are using AI-generated slides. Accuracy may take a hit when you deal with complex subjects like AI, computational photography, Machine Learning, and more. Double-check it before sharing the presentation with others.
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Create and insert images using Gemini
I had no idea Gemini could create images based on text prompts. It’s a huge time-saver as you don’t need to browse the web for suitable images for your presentation. I generated a couple of relevant images using the text prompts below.
An image of a balanced plate with lean protein, whole grains, and vegetables.
A close-up photograph of a glass of water with slices of lemon and cucumber.
Gemini gives you four image options for your slides. You can view and insert them into your slides.
Gemini did my slides
Gemini in Google Slides opened my eyes to the potential of AI in presentation creation. While it’s not a perfect replacement for human creativity and strategic thinking, it’s a powerful tool for streamlining the process, especially for crafting initial drafts and eye-catching visuals.
Still, human oversight is crucial, but if you have tight deadlines or want to explore new ways to create engaging slides, give Gemini a try. Gemini Advanced unlocks Google’s AI assistant in other productivity apps like Google Sheets. Here’s how you can boost your spreadsheets with Gemini.
