Tucked quietly away in Google AI Studio behind trendy tools like Nano Banana, Veo 3.1 and NotebookLM, lies a playground of lesser known but just as exciting AI tools that allow anyone to build apps, remix songs, create fonts, virtually explore national landmarks and so much more.
These experimental apps are so much fun, but also educational. To see what I'd been missing, I spent time testing the newest experiments inside the studio. Within minutes, I had working apps, custom soundtracks, interactive tours and even alphabet art generated from the most random themes.
Some of these Google AI tools are simple while others are surprisingly advanced. But all of them point in the same direction — a future where AI allows ideas to come to life instantly.
1. GenType
I'll start with my favorite right out of the gate. If you’ve ever wanted to see your name written in peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, this is your chance.
GenType lets you generate a full 26-letter alphabet from any theme or idea you choose, without needing to design each letter manually.
Just come up with a prompt like “rainbows and clouds” or “wooden planks,” and GenType will create letters with Google’s Imagen 2 image-generation model. It's a lot of fun, but there isn’t punctuation yet, so when I tried "Tom's Guide" it looked a little weird.
2. MusicFX DJ
As a real-time generative music tool, MusicFX DJ puts the flow of a DJ set right in your browser. You type in prompts like “deep 90s house bassline” or “ambient piano strings,” then tweak sliders for tempo, key and intensity, and watch the AI spin up a continuous mix that evolves as you go. It's especially cool if you’ve ever wanted to be a DJ or keep your kids occupied in a creative way.
If you’re a novice, MusicFX DJ might take a little getting used to, but I like this tool because it makes live-music creation approachable without major hardware or production tools.
Just note: MusicFX DJ is still experimental, and it focuses on instrumentation rather than vocals. It's more about fun and flow than polished tracks ready for release.
3. National Gallery Mixtape
From the creative labs of The National Gallery in London and Google Arts & Culture Lab, this AI tool gives users the opportunity to generate a personalized soundtrack inspired by the imagery. Simply drag-and-drop art pieces, add “emotion stickers” and let the AI interpret mood, tones and visual cues into music.
I tried National Gallery Mixtape and had the peaceful music playing in the background as I worked. It’s a playful, immersive way to experience fine art through sound that’s unique to you — part art history, part creative studio, part digital experimentation.
4. Opal makes app building ridiculously easy
Coding without any skills is what vibe coding is all about. And Opal lets anyone create custom AI “mini-apps” with ease.
Just describe what you want (“make a tool that summarizes YouTube videos” or “help me draft emails faster”) and Opal instantly builds a working prototype you can edit visually, tweak with prompts and share with others.
Using Opal, I turned my ideas into real, functioning apps in minutes. For example, I prompted the tool to create a “Daily affirmation app” for inspiration every morning. Within seconds I got exactly what I wanted.
Talking Tours
Talking Tours is an AI-powered virtual tour experience from Google Arts & Culture that uses your location in a virtual environment plus AI narration to guide you through cultural landmarks, museums and even nature.
It’s a great example of how AI is moving beyond chats and text into immersive, interactive experiences. So if you’re dealing with flight delays or just stuck in a place you don’t want to be at the moment, it might be worth trying out a new AI experience that lets you virtually travel to new and exciting places.
The takeaway
The apps I mention here aren't even half of what Google AI Studio offers. There's even about a dozen more apps that aren't available yet, but have a waiting list.
Google AI Studio is a fun place to let your imagination wander as you bring ideas to life with AI. Although many of the tools are still experimental and may have some hiccups, they feel like a genuine glimpse into the next era of AI-inspired creativity.
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