Google has added presentation generation to Canvas in Gemini, which means you can go from a blank page to a first draft deck with a single prompt plus your notes. The feature is live on the web version of Gemini and rolling out more broadly, so you can try it today by opening Gemini, choosing Canvas, and asking it to create a presentation. For the official announcement and walkthroughs, see the Workspace update and October Gemini Drop: Workspace Updates, Gemini Drop, and the overview for Gemini Canvas. You can also see the teaser from the team on X: @GeminiApp.
What it can do right now: generate an outline, build slides with titles and bullets, add imagery and a theme, and then export to Google Slides for polish. You can start from a topic or upload your own source material like research notes, a requirements doc, or a syllabus. See the basic how to here: Gemini help for Canvas and Gemini in Slides help.
Quick start steps
- Open the Gemini app on the web and click Canvas.
- Paste your notes or upload a document, then prompt: “Create a presentation for [audience] on [topic].”
- Add constraints in the same prompt: number of slides, talk length, tone, and mandatory points.
- Ask for speaker notes and a one slide summary so the deck stands on its own.
- Export to Google Slides and fine tune wording, layout, and brand elements.
Prompt patterns that work well
- “Create a 10 slide presentation for non technical executives on our Q4 roadmap. Use my uploaded notes. Include risks, timeline, and next steps.”
- “Make a 6 slide class lesson on the Roman Republic with a 5 minute warm up, a timeline, 3 key terms, and a short quiz at the end.”
- “Turn this customer discovery interview into a 12 slide pitch outline. Include problem, current alternatives, solution, demo flow, pricing, and FAQ.”
Quality tips
- Give Canvas real context. Upload notes, briefs, or outlines so the deck reflects your content instead of generic facts.
- Specify audience and time. A deck for a 10 minute standup reads differently than a 45 minute workshop.
- Lock in non negotiables. List exact stats, product names, and CTAs it must include so you do not lose details in abstraction.
- Ask for visuals deliberately. If you plan to export and reuse images, verify usage rights or replace with your own brand assets in Slides.
- Iterate slide by slide. Tell Canvas what to expand, cut, or reframe. You can regenerate only selected slides before exporting.
Limits and privacy to consider
Gemini can draft structure and language quickly, but it may invent facts if you do not provide sources. Keep sensitive data out of prompts unless your Workspace admin has reviewed Google’s controls and the Gemini for Workspace settings. Read the privacy and security materials for Canvas and Google Slides before sharing decks outside your organization: Gemini overview for Workspace and Gemini privacy and safety.
Ways to use this today
- Lesson plans and study guides.
- Internal updates, sprint reviews, and planning meetings.
- Sales one pagers expanded into short decks.
- Event recaps and how to tutorials with screenshots you add later.
If you want help building a repeatable workflow around this, we can support planning, governance, and hands on enablement. For integration and templates that connect AI to your files with clear controls, see AI Integration and Automation. For workshops that train your team to prompt well and review responsibly, see AI Training for Teams. For broader technology planning and policy, visit Business IT Consulting. And if you want to turn your deck into a narrated video or podcast segment, explore Podcast and Video Production.