Google's AI-Powered 'Ask Photos' Rolls Out in the U.S. for Early Access

Google’s AI-powered search feature for Google Photos, “Ask Photos,” is officially rolling out to users in the U.S. after being first announced at the Google I/O developer conference in May. This new feature allows users to ask more complex, natural language questions to search their photo libraries in ways that were previously not possible.

AI-Powered Search with Natural Language Queries

Powered by Google’s Gemini AI model, Ask Photos enables users to perform advanced photo searches by asking detailed questions. Unlike previous search functionality, which allowed users to find photos based on people, places, or things, Ask Photos expands on this by understanding the context of photos and other metadata. For instance, users can now ask more specific questions, like finding the “best photo from each of the National Parks I visited.” The AI uses signals like lighting, photo quality, and geolocation to provide the most relevant results.

Going Beyond Photo Retrieval

In addition to helping users retrieve photos, Ask Photos offers insights based on the content of the photos. For example, a parent could ask about the themes used for their child’s birthday parties in the past few years. The AI would analyze photos and detect themes such as “mermaid,” “superhero,” or “princess,” and inform the parent when those themes were last used.

Users can also ask practical questions, such as “what did we order last time at this restaurant” or “where did we camp last time in Yosemite.” Users can also use the feature to help you put together photos for an album or to summarize all the things you did on a trip. The AI’s ability to understand context, such as the people in the user’s life, favorite foods, and hobbies, allows it to provide answers that go beyond basic photo searches.

Early Access Through Google Labs

Ask Photos is currently available to select U.S. users through Google Labs as part of an early access program. As the feature is still in its experimental phase, interested users can join a waitlist to gain access. Google emphasizes that all personal data in Google Photos remains private and will not be used for ad targeting. The development of the feature is guided by Google’s AI Principles, and while human review of the AI’s answers will not occur, Google employees may review queries to improve the system over time.

Users who sign up for early access will be able to test the feature and provide feedback as Google continues to enhance Ask Photos for a broader audience.