Google Photos Introduces Ask Photos: A New Conversational Search Feature

Google Photos Introduces 'Ask Photos' Feature

• Rollout: After being previewed at I/O 2024, Google Photos is rolling out early access to the new 'Ask Photos' feature for select US users on both Android and iOS.
• Feature Description: Ask Photos is a conversational search experience that leverages Gemini models to understand the context of your photo gallery. It can recognize important people, hobbies, and favorite foods in your photos, helping you find specific memories or details about your life.
• Examples:
  • Planning a camping trip: "Where did we camp last time we went to Yosemite?"
  • Finding a restaurant: "What did we eat at the hotel in Stanley?"
• User Interface: The 'Ask' tab appears with a bottom search bar for entering natural language queries. It mimics a chat conversation and can switch back to 'classic search.'
• Functionality:
  • Search: Helps you find specific photos based on detailed queries.
  • Suggestions: Can suggest the best photos from events like birthday parties or summarize top activities from recent trips.
• Privacy: Google emphasizes that Google Photos is not used for ads and is protected by industry-leading security measures. Queries may be reviewed by humans but are disconnected from your Google Account to protect privacy.
• Early Access: The feature is currently available through Google Labs, with a waitlist option for more users.