Google is testing its ‘Ask Photos’ AI assistant that understands what’s in your photos

Google is testing its ‘Ask Photos’ AI assistant that understands what’s in your photos

Google is testing its new “Ask Photos” feature that lets you explore your library of photos in new ways. The feature, which Google first previewed in May, is rolling out to select Google Labs users in the US and will let you ask things like, “Where did we camp the last time we went to Yosemite?” or “What did we eat at Stanley’s Hotel?”

Using Google’s Gemini AI model, the Photos app will respond based on the content in your photos, as well as pull up images related to your question.

Google says you can use Ask Photos to complete tasks like summarizing what you did on a recent vacation or choosing the best photos of your family that you want to put in a shared album. You can sign up for a waitlist to access Ask Photos on Google’s website.

When using Ask Photos, Google will let you switch to what it now calls “classic search” — or the current way to find images. But Google is upgrading that, too, as you can now search for photos using natural language, such as “Alice and I laughing” or “kayaking on a lake surrounded by mountains.” You can then sort your search results by date or relevance. The feature is rolling out in English on Android and iOS, with support for more languages ​​coming in the “coming weeks.”

In preparation for this change, Google Photos has replaced the Library tab with a new Collections page, making it easier to find all your photos and videos. While I haven’t had time to really explore the new tab, I’ll definitely take advantage of natural language search so I can finally find specific images without having to scroll through thousands of images or narrowing them down by location.