Google Photos is now introducing AI-powered search – and it could be the biggest upgrade in years
Google Photos is already a powerful, searchable archive of personal memories — and now Google is introducing a Gemini-powered upgrade that allows it to completely replace your brain’s ability to remember specific life events.
As noted by 9to5GoogleGoogle has started rewarding those who signed up for its new ‘Ask Photos’ waitlist with an early rollout of the feature in the US. The tool, which lets you search your Google Photos library with natural language questions like “where did we camp the last time we went to Yosemite?”, is now appearing for many in the Google Photos app.
The rollout confirms that ‘Ask Photos’ will effectively replace the current ‘Search’ tab in the bottom bar of the app. Once you agree to Google’s data requests (more on that later), it will work in Google Photos on all platforms associated with your account. Apparently you can still use the old search, but only if you asked the question in Ask Photos first.
The feature is mainly aimed at answering questions about the people in your life, but Google says it will also be a useful holiday assistant. One of the sample questions during the launch at Google IO 2024 was “what did we eat at the hotel in Stanley?” and it will also presumably be able to remember hotel names, license plates and more – in short, everything you’ve photographed and backed up.
Unfortunately, ‘Ask Photos’ is only available in the US at the moment, but we’ve asked Google for an update on a possible global rollout and we’ll update this story if we hear back.
A terrifyingly knowledgeable sidekick
Google Photos has gone from a fairly basic photo organizer to an AI-powered memory bank – and the new ‘Ask Photos’ feature is the biggest search upgrade in some time. For some, the new feature will be a lifesaver, but others may understandably object due to its somewhat invasive powers.
Google says you don’t have to worry about ‘Ask Photos’ answers being reviewed by humans. That said, it says that to improve the feature, “questions may be reviewed by humans, but only after disconnecting from your Google account to protect your privacy.”
There’s no doubt that search is the main draw of Google Photos, and it will be interesting to see how ‘Ask Photos’ compares to the on-device search feature available in alternative apps like Apple Photos. But if you’d rather opt out of the new age of AI-driven search, you can also check out the best Google Photos alternatives like iDrive.
You can already search your photos in Google Photos with natural language queries like “kayaking on a lake surrounded by mountains” or “Emma painting in the backyard,” thanks to an update rolled out last month. But ‘Ask Photos’ takes image library analysis to a new level – and you’ll have to quickly decide whether or not to embrace it or nervously shy away from it.