Tuesday morning, I received a notification from Google saying I could try out the new Gemini 4 Argon model. Normally, I just ignore it — I don’t really care which model it is, as long as it can help me with my day-to-day — but this time Google teased me with something close to my heart.

Gemini said it could “Create an app to model lampshades that I can 3D print.” My response, as CNET’s resident 3D printing expert, was, “I bet you can’t.”

Turns out, yes, it can.

I went from these first few screenshots to a fully 3D-printed object in under 18 hours, and I’m impressed by how easy it was.

Having a conversation with Gemini 4.0 is a lot like chatting with a designer or developer. Screenshot by James Bricknell/CNET

I’ll say upfront that I don’t really like generative AI. I think it uses people’s art and creative work without fair compensation, and I want to pay artists for their work.…