Use Gemini and Imagen 3 on Vertex AI to create the images you envision. Generate tailored images from reference sources with Apps Script.
Have you ever generated an image using Gemini in Google Workspace and wished you could easily tweak or iterate on it? While Gemini for Workspace is great for initial creation, iterating on those images directly isn’t currently straightforward. A recent post by Stéphane Giron highlights a programmatic approach using Google Apps Script, Vertex AI (with Imagen 3 and Gemini models) to achieve the goal of generating image variations based on a source image.
Stéphane’s method uses a source image (which could be one previously generated or found elsewhere) which is provided to the Vertex AI API for Gemini (e.g., gemini-2.0-pro) along with text instructions for the required changes. The Gemini model analyzes the image and the request to generate a new prompt. This new prompt is then used with the Imagen 3 model (e.g., imagen-3.0-generate-001) via Vertex AI to generate the final image variation.
It’s interesting to contrast this with another solution we’ve previously featured from Kanshi Tanaike on ‘Iterative Image Generation with the Gemini API and Google Apps Script‘. While Tanaike’s method uses the Gemini API’s chat history to iteratively build an image from sequential text prompts, Stéphane’s focuses on reinterpreting a source image with specific modifications via a newly generated prompt.
You can check out Stéphane Giron’s source post for the complete code and setup instructions.
Discover how to combine Imagen 3 and Google Sheets for rapid image creation. Automate your workflow and generate visuals in bulk.
Have you ever wished you could create a bunch of images without the hassle of typing in each prompt one by one? Well, Stéphane Giron has shared a clever solution using Google’s Imagen 3, Google Sheets, and Apps Script to streamline this process. While Gemini for Workspace is rolling out to more users and includes Imagen 3 for image creation in apps like Slides and the Gemini side panel, it doesn’t offer an easy way to create images in bulk. That’s where this method comes in. Instead of making images one at a time, this approach allows you to generate multiple images at once, saving you time and effort.
To get started with this method, you’ll need a Google Cloud Project and creating a service account (see the Build an AI slides reviewer with Gemini tutorial for instructions on setting this up). Once that’s set up, you create a Google Sheet with a column for your text prompts, and another for the links to the generated images. The images are automatically saved into a specific folder in your Google Drive.
The real magic happens with Apps Script. It uses Vertex AI to connect with the Imagen 3 model. The script reads each prompt from your sheet, sends it to Imagen 3 to create an image, and then stores the image in Google Drive. It also helpfully adds the image’s link back into the Google Sheet.
Check out the source post for the required code and instructions.
Bluesky is gaining traction this end of 2024, and if you’re on the platform, you need to know your numbers. Want to track your Bluesky stats without the hassle? Google Apps Script and Google Sheets are here to rescue you with a simple, yet powerful solution.
In this blog post, Stéphane Giron provides a guide to tracking Bluesky social media statistics using Google Apps Script and Google Sheets. With the growing popularity of Bluesky it can be useful and interesting to understand the social media dynamic of the platform.
The script he offers tracks metrics such as the number of posts, followers, likes, reposts, and more. Stéphane also details how to install and set up the script, including copying and pasting the provided code, running initialization functions, and scheduling automatic data collection. The result is raw data that users can then use to create graphs and visualize their Bluesky activity over time.
Automate publication of your script from development to production easier.
This post by Stéphane Giron provides a CI/CD solution for Google Apps Script, which makes it easy for you to automate the deployment of Apps Script code from a development version to production. The solution uses the Apps Script API to manage versions and streamline the code copying process.
Stéphane has previously created a backup solution for Google Apps Script code, but it lacked version control and multi-file support. This new CI/CD solution addresses these limitations by using the Apps Script API to handle version management and the publication process.
The post includes the necessary code and configuration for implementing this solution. To use this solution you will need to enable the Apps Script API and as well as setting up your project with a standard Google Cloud Platform (GCP) Project.
As a bonus the solution also allows you the option of restoring previous versions of your deployed script, providing a rollback mechanism in case of errors or issues. This solution is lighter weight than other CI/CD setups featured in Pulse, but is easier to set up, providing a practical approach to implementing CI/CD for Google Apps Script projects and enhancing code management and deployment processes.
If your automations are not being triggered by Google Form submissions, Pablo Felip’s tip is it could be because your Google Workspace Admin has turned on AppSheet Core Security.
Use Google Apps Script to automate actions on Bluesky Social using their API.
I’ve largely given up on X (formerly Twitter) and there are now numerous alternatives including Bluesky Social. If you would like to automate posting and getting messages from Bluesky Stéphane Giron provides a guide on how to communicate with Bluesky Social API using Google Apps Script. It includes detailed steps on how to obtain an app password, authenticate with Bluesky, retrieve messages for a user, and post a new message. The post also includes code snippets for each step, making it easy if you want to modify this integration to your own needs.
Create a Chatbot answering user questions based on your documents. RAG implementation with multiturn using Vertex AI Search and Apps Script
More GenAI, this time from Stéphane Giron looking at how Apps Script can be used to provide the glue for a Google Chat app powered by Vertex AI Search. In this example you can see how unstructured data like PDF documents can easily be uploaded to a Cloud Storage folder, which then become the knowledge base for the Chat app. The post includes a Google Apps Script snippet for sending messages to the Vertex AI Search API as well as instructions on how to create the chatbot, including how to import data into Vertex AI Search and how to integrate the chatbot into Google Chat.
The post is a great summary of what is possible when combining Google Chat and Vertex AI Search. If you are interested in finding out more about what is possible using Vertex AI Search with follow-ups Google provide a comprehensive guide.
Building a Support AI Assistant for Google Workspace using Apps Script, Gen AI, and Google Chat.
This post from Stéphane Giron highlights one approach for improving responses from LLMs by integrating Google Custom Search Engine responses into the prompt. In this example Stéphane used Google Apps Script to power the AI Assistant, integrating with Google Chat for the user interface and Cloud Functions to reformat data.
This post is another example of the ‘power of the prompt’ and how LLM prompting strategies are a very effective way to utilise LLMs without having to ground or fine tune. If you are interested in understanding more here is a useful notebook produced by Michael W. Sherman which illustrates two powerful LLM prompting strategies: Chain of Thought and ReAct (Reasoning + Acting).
Who takes the notes ? Simple question we always ask at the begining of the meeting, maybe it will be over in a near future with Generative AI. Using Meet recording, included in the Google Workspace licences, we can generate the transcript of the meeting with Google Speech to Text API and then generate the minutes.
Lots of chatter around ‘Gen AI’, but cutting through the hype and, in particular, the Platform-As-A-Service opportunities created with generally available Large Language Models (LLM) opens lots of new doors for Workspace Developers.
This example from fellow Google Developer Expert, Stéphane Giron, is an area I think has the most potential, using LLMs in Google Workspace Add-ons such as Gmail, Docs, Calendar etc. With Google’s Vertex AI LLMs there is really opportunity to create powerful solutions whilst preserving data sovereignty. Exciting times!
Have you ever wished for a personal assistant who could give you a quick summary of your day’s events while you’re busy getting ready in the morning? I worked on a Google Apps Script that does just that! By collecting events from in Google Calendar, generating a summary using ChatGPT, and creating a voice file with Google Text to Speech, the script will send a daily summary straight to their Google Chat Spaces.
Not surprising given the current interest in generative AI to see more examples emerging from the Google Workspace developer community. This latest example comes from Stéphane Giron who shares how he is able to recreate some Google Assistant functionality with Google Apps Script and calls to the ChatGPT and Google Cloud Text to Speech services. All the main code snippets from this project are available in the source post link.
