Google has named Paris Hilton as Android's first-ever "icon in residence," a partnership that saw the media personality and entrepreneur use Google's Gemini AI to build her own mobile app without writing a single line of code.
Hilton, who describes herself as an "undercover nerd," spent time at Google's campus working in a custom-built "Sliv Lab" where she experimented with Gemini on Android alongside creative technologists. The collaboration was designed to explore how creativity and technology can work together to make app development accessible to everyone.
"For most of my life, I've had more ideas than places to put them," Hilton wrote on the official Google Blog. "I've spent my career building businesses and turning creative visions into reality. Most people know me for my pink and sparkly self, but you might not know that I've always been an undercover nerd."
Using Canvas in Gemini, Hilton created a custom productivity app called Iconic Ideas — a tool inspired by the way her mind works. After just three prompts in Canvas, the app was already taking shape. She described a vision, and Gemini bridged the gap between the idea in her head and an app she could actually use. True to her signature style, the app is completely pink and sparkly.
"When most people think about creating technology, they picture engineers and developers — people who speak a language most of us were never taught," Hilton explained. "A select group of people got to build technology, and the rest of us were expected to use what they gave us. But what if technology started somewhere else? What if it started with creativity?"
Hilton noted that as someone with ADHD, her brain moves fast, and she has spent years searching for systems that could keep up. Canvas in Gemini finally provided that capability, allowing her to turn ideas into functional apps without technical barriers.
Beyond her own experimentation, Hilton invited young women from the YMCA and Altadena Girls to join her at Google's campus for an Android innovation challenge. The participants used tools available on Android — including Canvas, Circle to Search, and Nano Banana — to solve real problems and dream up new ideas.
In just one afternoon, the group built impressive concepts including a social networking app that prioritizes users' well-being, an app that lets users try out different hairstyles virtually, and the winning entry — an app that helps girls walk home safely from school by sharing their location with parents and reporting hazards along the way.
"The moment I realized what was possible, I wanted others to experience that feeling," Hilton said. "I wanted them to know that technology is something they can actively shape."
As Android's icon in residence, Hilton is demonstrating that technology doesn't have to be intimidating or limited to people with technical backgrounds. The partnership highlights Google's broader push to make AI-powered app development accessible to everyone through tools like Gemini and Canvas, which allow users to create functional applications through natural language descriptions rather than traditional coding.
"For the first time, I felt like the distance between imagination and execution had become dramatically smaller," Hilton wrote. "And that's what being icon in residence is really about: helping more people see themselves as creators of technology, not just consumers of it."
Image Source: Google
