Google Launches Ask Photos for Better Searches

News Desk

Islamabad: At the Google I/O 2024 conference in May, Google unveiled a new AI-driven feature called Ask Photos, which is now starting to roll out for early access.

Ask Photos leverages Gemini AI models to allow users to search their photo galleries using conversational language.

According to Google, this feature enables the AI to “understand the context of your photo gallery,” allowing users to search for specific people, hobbies, or favorite foods and retrieve relevant information about those images.

For example, you could ask, “Where did we camp the last time we went to Yosemite?” or “What did we eat at the hotel in Stanley?” The AI can identify details such as your camping gear or the dishes at a restaurant to provide relevant answers.

When Ask Photos is activated, it will replace the traditional magnifying glass icon in the bottom search bar of Photos with a new icon featuring the Gemini star symbol and labeled “Ask.” By tapping this icon, you can enter queries in natural language, creating a conversational interaction. You can also switch back to the standard search function at any time.

The Gemini logo will appear while the AI processes your request, searching through your photos before displaying the results. If the AI has difficulty finding what you’re looking for, you can provide additional hints to refine the search.

Google highlights that Ask Photos will not be used for advertising and is protected by the company’s security measures to ensure your privacy. Queries might be reviewed by humans for improvement purposes, but only after being disconnected from your Google Account to protect your privacy.

The answers provided by Ask Photos, including your photos and videos, are generally not reviewed by humans except in rare cases, such as addressing abuse or when you provide feedback.

If you’re part of Google Labs, you might receive an invitation to try Ask Photos early. Otherwise, you can join the waitlist to request early access.