Google Rolls Out AI-Powered 'Ask Photos' Feature for Enhanced Image Search

Google now allows you to quickly find any photo on your phone thanks to AI - Softonic

Subscribe to the Softonic newsletter and get the latest in tech, gaming, entertainment and deals right in your inbox. During the presentation of Ask Photos, the potential of AI was demonstrated by asking it to identify the license plate of the presenter's car in one of his photos. Within seconds of making the request, the feature was able to search through the Google Photos image gallery and find the requested information. However, this new tool is not limited to specific searches only. Users can use it to make more personal inquiries, such as asking Gemini to gather photos showing the progress in their child's tennis classes or to remember the themes of family birthday parties. The feature, which is already being rolled out in the United States, as reported by PhoneArena, replaces the "Search" tab in the app and allows users to interact with AI naturally to find the desired photos. Although it is not yet available to all users, those who previously signed up for the waiting list will be able to enjoy Ask Photos as soon as it becomes available. New users can also join this list through this link provided by Google. In addition to compatibility with Android devices, Google has announced that the feature will also come to iPhones, where it will appear at the bottom of the Google Photos app screen. For those concerned about using the new feature, the app will include initial guides that will show how to make the most of it.

Google's AI-powered search feature for Photos now rolling out to more users

Google has announced two new AI-powered feature to help you find a certain photos, and one of them is rolling out now. The feature hitting phones now is called Ask Photos. As the name implies, it lets you use descriptive queries to hunt down specific photos and videos and get better results. Also: Google's new AI feature lets you search the web by uploading a video Using Google's Gemini AI, Ask Photos can understand the context of the photos in your gallery, including details like the people in your life, your hobbies, and your favorite foods. For example, suppose you're planning a camping trip and want to return to a favorite site you captured in your photos. You could ask Google Photos: "Where did we camp the last time we went to Yosemite?" In another example, suppose you'd like to return to a restaurant you've enjoyed in the past and want to order the same food. Assuming you snapped photos of your meal, you could ask Google Photos: "What did we eat at the hotel in Stanley?" In these two examples, Ask Photos delivers results based on its understanding of the key details in your photos. The AI-powered feature "knows" where you took the photos with your camping gear and what dish was on the table when you snapped a picture at the restaurant. With its AI skills, Ask Photos can also engage in a back-and-forth conversation. If it doesn't find the correct results right away, you can chat with it to provide more clues and details to help it along. A waitlist for the feature was introduced in September, but it appears to be rolling out to other users now. The feature will work on Android and iOS and will arrive in an update to the app. You'll know you have the new feature when the traditional Search button at the bottom of the Photos app gets replaced with Ask Photos. When you first open the app, you'll be asked to identify your relationship with people or pets that appear often. Also new is the option to use descriptive queries while searching for photos. This feature began rolling out in September. Also: I bought the Google Pixel 9 Pro, and its most impressive feature was not the software "As photo libraries get larger and larger, finding what you're looking for sometimes requires more descriptive queries," Jamie Aspinall, group product manager for Google Photos, said in a blog post. "Starting today (Sept. 5), you can find what you're looking for using everyday language." Aspinall cited a few examples: You could ask Google Photos to find photos of "Alice and me laughing," "Kayaking on a lake surrounded by mountains," or "Emma painting in the backyard." In response, Google will scan for and analyze photos to find the ones that match your query. The new search feature will also sort your results by date or relevance, helping you find the right ones more quickly and easily. Of course, privacy is always a concern, both with AI and with Google. To address privacy concerns, Aspinall said that Google is "taking a responsible approach to launching Ask Photos, guided by our AI Principles." In part, this means the company promises that your photos will be protected by security measures and will never be used for ads. Also: Best Prime Day phone deals to shop in October 2024 To improve Ask Photos, humans may review some queries but only after you are disconnected from your Google Account. The actual answers offered by Ask Photos, including your photos and videos, are not reviewed by humans unless you provide feedback or want to address issues of abuse or harm. Those who'd like to take Ask Photos for a spin can now join the waitlist. Browse to the Google Photos page and head to the Ask Photos section. Enter your Gmail address and click the Join the waitlist button.

You Might Soon Get This AI Feature in Google Photos

Google Photos is reportedly receiving the much anticipated Ask Photos feature in a limited rollout the US. The artificial intelligence (AI) feature powered by Gemini was first unveiled at the Google I/O in May. Last month, the company confirmed that the feature will be shipped in early access, and as per a report, users have begun seeing the feature on their devices. Notably, the feature lets users search for specific images within Google Photos by sending a conversational query to Gemini. According to a Phone Arena report, the Ask Photos feature is now rolling out to several Android users in the US via a supply-side update. It will appear at the bottom-right corner of Google Photos and will replace the Search tab. The tech giant opened the waitlist to request early access to the feature last month, and those who have joined the waitlist are now getting the feature. The Google Photos feature, which is available on both Android and iOS devices, allows users to ask conversational queries to pinpoint a specific image stored on the user's cloud storage. Users can ask detailed queries spanning multiple sentences or vague prompts with some basic information about the image, and the AI will be able to fetch the right image. Users can also ask follow-up queries in case the AI is not able to find the image in the first attempt. As per Google, the AI feature also focuses on user privacy. As previously stated by the company, user data including the queries made to Ask Photos, will not be used for ads. The prompts might be reviewed by humans, but that will be done after the user's account has been disconnected. The publication also shared a screenshot of the overview page of the feature, which highlighted how the tech giant is processing the data in Google Photos to let users run natural-language queries on them. As per the company, it generates text descriptions for the images and videos, uses facial recognition and compiles the data with location and time stamps to add context (such as if the user went on a vacation to Goa between October 1 and 5), and estimates the relationship of other people in the gallery with the user based on their images.

Gemini AI's 'Ask Photos' Feature Now Available for Some Google Photos Users

Google Photos is introducing a highly anticipated AI-powered feature Ask Photos in a limited rollout to select users in the US. The feature is powered by Gemini AI and allows users to search for specific images stored in their Google Photos library by using natural-language, conversational queries. Initially unveiled at the Google I/O event in May, the feature is now being gradually made available to Android and iOS users as part of a limited early access program.

Google Photos' New "Ask Photos" Feature Shows Up to Impress

We may earn a commission when you click links to retailers and purchase goods. More info. It's time to "Ask Photos" instead of search in Google Photos. The new search replacement started showing up over the weekend as a potentially powerful way to bring back old memories, create new collections, and find the story of your life or something. You could even carry on some sort of AI-powered conversation until you get to just the right moment in time, where you pulled out your phone and snapped a pic. Google first talked about this new "Ask Photos" feature back at Google I/O in May and then told us it would start to roll it out in September to "select" users. They also opened up a sign-up form for those who wanted to show interest in testing early. The idea here is that finding moments in time in your massive library of photos could be cumbersome. However, with AI powering searches, you would be able to query more conversationally, with follow-ups that could get you very specific info or build out timelines. Google gave us examples of "What did we eat at the hotel in Stanley?" to bring back that memory of a trip you took and the food you ate along the way. You could even do something as specifically important as asking for your car's license plate number. Turn on "Ask Photos" in Google Photos: If you'd like to go looking for this feature, the first step is to open Google Photos. For me, it simply showed up after I opened the app over the weekend. There is a setting for it, though, which you'll find by opening the app, tapping your profile picture and then "Photos settings." From there, you'll jump into Preferences>Gemini features in Photos to see a list of AI-powered settings, one of which should be "Search with Ask Photos" - toggle it on to begin. I happened to be in Vegas when it first showed up for me on Saturday night and I immediately started looking things up. I was having a conversation about last year's massive ice storm in Portland and then asked about the "ice tree" pictures I had taken. It brought up several images I had of trees that were frozen, including from last year's storm. I then asked about food pictures I had taken from a Vegas Hell's Kitchen dinner that Tim and I enjoyed years ago - it found plenty and even described that wonderful meal. The search isn't the fastest thing, though. I could see this being useful at times where you want to recount a big memory, but in everyday use, I don't necessarily need Google Photos to take this much time and provide a worded recap of what it found. Just give me the results, man.