Google has officially launched ‘Ask Photos,’ a new feature in Google Photos that leverages artificial intelligence to enable complex, natural language searches within users’ photo libraries. The feature was first unveiled at the Google I/O developer conference earlier this year and began rolling out on Thursday to select users in the United States as part of an early access program.
Powered by Google’s advanced Gemini AI model, ‘Ask Photos’ represents a significant upgrade from the app’s traditional search capabilities. Previously, users could search for specific people, places, or objects captured in their photos.
Now, the AI can interpret more intricate queries that require a deeper understanding of the images’ content and context.
For example, if a user asks, “Show me the best photos from each national park I’ve visited,” the AI doesn’t just pull up any photo tagged with a national park; it evaluates the quality of each image — considering factors like lighting, sharpness, and composition — to present the most striking shots from each location.
Furthermore, the tool also utilises geolocation data embedded in photos to identify where they were taken.
The feature goes beyond simple photo retrieval. It can provide helpful answers to questions about past experiences. For example, if a parent asks about the themes they’ve used for birthdays in the past, the AI can analyse party photos to determine if themes like unicorns, space adventures, or superheroes were featured.
Access to ‘Ask Photos’ is currently available through Google Labs for selected U.S. users, as the feature is still experimental.
To allay privacy and security fears, Google has announced that personal photos and search queries will not be used for advertising. However, Google employees may review anonymised queries to enhance the AI’s capabilities. Users’ photos and AI responses remain private unless they share feedback or report an issue.
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