Google Tests Opal AI That Creates Web Apps Without Coding

Google launched testing for Opal, an AI coding tool available to U.S. users through Google Labs, Tech Crunch reports. The platform creates mini web apps from text descriptions without requiring programming knowledge.

Users enter descriptions of their desired applications, and Opal generates functional prototypes using Google’s AI models. The tool can also modify existing apps from its built-in gallery. Once generated, apps open in a visual editor showing input, output, and generation workflow steps.

Each workflow step can be clicked to view and edit the underlying prompts. Users can manually add new steps through Opal’s toolbar interface. The visual workflow displays the app creation process in a step-by-step format that non-technical users can follow and modify.

After completing edits, users can publish their applications on the web and share links with others. Recipients can test the apps using their Google accounts without additional setup requirements.

Opal differs from Google’s existing AI Studio, which already allows app creation through prompts. While AI Studio targets developers, Opal’s visual interface aims to serve non-technical users who want to build applications without coding experience.

The tool enters a competitive market where several startups have gained traction. Lovable and Cursor have attracted significant investment and user interest in the “vibe-coding” category, where AI transforms natural language descriptions into functional code.