The Next Level of AI: Nano Banana Pro and Sora
From being used in smart homes for managing utilities to helping scientists decode complex data, artificial intelligence (AI) has become centric to our lives. However, its presence is seemingly being felt a bit too intensely, with recent announcements from Google and OpenAI that have put stringent limits on their AI generation requests, including those for Nano Banana Pro and Sora. Apparently, the demand is colossal enough to put considerable stress on these platforms.
The head of Sora at OpenAI, Bill Peebles, recently stated that the processing units (GPUs) at their end were literally “melting” due to the overwhelming demand. As a consequence, they’ve been compelled to curtail the number of free video generations per day to just six. One couldn’t avoid noticing that, unlike with the earlier restrictions, Peebles didn’t mention these as being temporary. It’s, however, possible for the users to acquire more ‘gens’ as required- with a fee, of course. This move seems to be in line with OpenAI’s efforts to commercialise their platform.
And it’s not just OpenAI. Google, too, appears to be shrinking its boundaries to deal with the massive popularity of its AI tools. The limit for its Nano Banana Pro has been confined to generating just two images a day for free users. This is a slight step-down from its previous limit of three images and seems to have taken some people by surprise. Google, moreover, has reserved its right to change the limits without prior information. It’s a route often taken in the aftermath of popular software releases, hinting at the colossal demand that these platforms must be undergoing.
Beyond Nano Banana Pro, there is also chatter about Google limiting free users’ access to Gemini 3 Pro. It’s yet another indication of the sheer popularity of these AI platforms and the pressures they are under to balance supply with demand.
The underlying pattern here is quite clear – a relentless rise in demand for AI, overpowering supply capacity, leading to the imposition of constraints. The takeaway for me is that while this may appear as a bottleneck in the short run, over the medium-to-long term, it signals at the larger underlying need for scaling up the infrastructure. More importantly, for consumers, it’s a wake-up call about the increasing presence and prominence of AI in our lives. It’s here, it’s real, and it’s powerful. And we are just at the beginning of understanding and harnessing this potential.
Article originally appeared on The Verge.
