The AI Tool Shelf
Rachid Amesrouy- Google AI Studio is free with Gemini 3.8 Flash; the newest Gemini 4 Argon needs a paid plan or API key.
- It solved our profit calculation correctly in the first line, in 5.5 seconds.
- With a system instruction it answered in authentic Moroccan Darija.
- It transcribed a Moroccan Gnawa song from a YouTube link with lyrics confirmed by the songwriter, but once credited the wrong artist when web search was on.
Google AI Studio is Google's free "playground" for its Gemini models. Many people assume it is only for developers, but anyone with a Google account can use it, and it offers controls the regular Gemini app does not. We tested it on a free account in October 2026 with three real tasks: a business calculation, songwriting in Moroccan Darija, and transcribing a Moroccan song straight from a YouTube link. The song was one of Rachid Amesrouy's own, so we could check every word.
The short verdict
| Test | Time | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Profit calculation | 5.5 s | ✅ Correct on the first line ($49.66) |
| Song titles in Darija (with a system instruction) | 11.4 s | ✅ Authentic Darija, followed the instruction |
| Transcribing a Moroccan song from YouTube | 14 s | ✅ Lyrics confirmed by the songwriter; ⚠️ credited the wrong artist once |
| Cost | — | Free with Gemini 3.8 Flash; Gemini 4 Argon needs a paid plan or API key |
Google AI Studio vs the Gemini app
Both use Google's Gemini models, but they are built for different jobs:
- The Gemini app (gemini.google.com) is a polished assistant for everyday chat, with your Google apps connected.
- Google AI Studio (aistudio.google.com) is a workbench: you choose the exact model, set system instructions (permanent rules for the model), adjust the thinking level, switch tools such as Google Search grounding, code execution, Google Maps and URL context on or off, see the model's "thoughts" and a token counter, and paste YouTube links or upload audio, video and files. It can also generate code to reuse the same setup in your own app.
Chats are temporary by default; AI Studio asks you to enable Google Drive if you want to keep them.
Test 1: a business calculation
This is the same question we used in our ChatGPT vs Gemini vs Claude test, where ChatGPT opened with a wrong answer. AI Studio's Gemini 3.8 Flash got it right in the first line in 5.5 seconds: "You make money. You make a profit of $49.66 each month", followed by the steps (40 sales, $4.24 net per sale) and a useful extra: $1.24 profit per sale after the ad cost. One small flaw: a few bold markers (**169.66**) appeared as raw symbols inside the formulas.
Test 2: system instructions and Moroccan Darija
We set this system instruction: "You are a Moroccan music assistant. Always answer in Moroccan Darija." Then we asked, in Darija, for three titles for a sad song about friends.
In 11.4 seconds it answered entirely in natural Moroccan Darija with three titles, "Hanet l'achra" (the bond was cheapened), "Hsabtek khouya" (I thought you were my brother) and "Shab l'waqt" (fair-weather friends), each with a short explanation of the idea, and offered to help write the lyrics. Our songwriter tester found them authentic and usable.
System instructions are what make AI Studio powerful for creators: set your style once, and every answer follows it.
Test 3: transcribing a Moroccan song from YouTube
This is the task the AI shorts tools we tested could not do: Opus Clip rejected Arabic and CapCut produced placeholder captions. In AI Studio we added a YouTube link to a Gnawa-Sufi song from the channel, "Twahacht l'lamma" (I miss the family gathering), and asked it to transcribe the first verse and chorus exactly as sung and describe the mood.
A useful detail: when you add a YouTube video, you can set a start and end time, and the frame rate, so the model only processes the part you need.
In about 14 seconds it returned the spiritual opening, the chorus and the verses in Arabic script, plus an accurate description of the mood: nostalgia, separation from one's mother and family, and hope through prayer. The songwriter confirmed the lyrics were real, Moroccan Darija included. This is the best Arabic song transcription we have seen in our tests.
One mistake to watch: the wrong artist
In our first attempt, the answer credited the song to a different channel that had published a popular song with the same title. Google Search grounding was switched on, and it seems to have matched the title online rather than reading the channel name on the video. Lesson: when you only need what is in the file, switch off Grounding with Google Search, and always check names and facts the model adds.
Because search stayed on during our tests, part of the context could have come from the video's YouTube page; the time-range test, which returned the lyrics of that exact section, suggests it was listening to the audio.
What is free and what is not
- Free: Gemini 3.8 Flash (released September 2, 2026) with all the tools above, YouTube links, file uploads and system instructions.
- Not free: the newest Gemini 4 Argon. Selecting it opened a window offering a Google AI plan (higher limits, premium models, more Google apps) or a pay-as-you-go Gemini API key with billing.
- The model menu also lists image, video, audio, music and text-to-speech models (such as Gemini 3.8 Flash TTS); availability on the free tier varies by model.
- For developers: Gemini 3.8 Flash costs $0.75 per million input tokens and $3.75 per million output tokens through the API (October 2026 listing).
Pros and cons
| 👍 Pros | 👎 Cons |
|---|---|
| Free access to a strong Gemini model | The newest model (Gemini 4 Argon) is paid |
| System instructions, thinking level and tool switches | Search grounding can add wrong facts (wrong artist) |
| Transcribed Moroccan Darija lyrics accurately | Chats are not saved unless you enable Drive |
| YouTube links with start and end times | More technical interface than the Gemini app |
Who should use it?
- Creators who want a fixed style (system instructions), lyrics transcribed, or videos summarised from a YouTube link.
- Arabic and Darija speakers: it handled Darija better than any shorts tool we tested.
- Beginner developers who want to prototype with Gemini and copy the code.
- For everyday chat with your Gmail and Drive, the regular Gemini app is simpler.
The verdict
Google AI Studio is one of the most capable free AI tools we have tested. It solved our calculation instantly, wrote authentic Moroccan Darija, and transcribed a Moroccan Gnawa song from a YouTube link with lyrics the songwriter confirmed, something paid shorts tools failed to do. Its one notable mistake came from web search attaching the wrong artist, so switch search off when you only need what is in your file. If you are comfortable with a slightly more technical screen, it gives you more control than the Gemini app, for free.
Sources: Google AI Studio · Gemini app. Tested October 29, 2026.