
Google Has Stopped This AI Photo Feature For Its Users: Here's Why
Last Updated:
Google introduced Ask Photos at the I/O 2024 last year and the AI powered feature is there to help you get answers about images.
Google has been forced to pause one more AI feature for its users.
Google's AI journey has moved at a steady pace but the company has once again hit a hurdle in this race against OpenAI. Google released the AI-powered Ask Photos feature that works within the Photos app and for multiple reasons it has decided to pause the roll out for its users.
We first got to know about Ask Photos at the I/O 2024 last year and Google was widely tipped to fix the issues before making it available in the market. But new reports suggest the issues are still around and users will have to wait a little longer before getting a full tilt at the new AI feature. But why was the roll out paused?
Ask Photos Paused But Why?
Google's product manager shared the news via a post on X recently and also gave the reason for this decision. Jamie Aspinall claims the Ask AI feature was facing issues related to latency, quality and the overall experience of how the AI tool offered results. Basically Aspinall says, Ask Photos is not where it needs to be, which seems like a fair call to make rather than let it become an issue in the public.
Ask Photos is essentially there to help you answer queries about photos, understand the context of the visuals and even retrieve the text from images. He also pointed out the roll out has been paused for a very small number of users which could be in hundreds or thousands, depending on how widespread the release was offered earlier.
The good news is that Google is already working on the issues facing Ask Photos and Aspinall claims the new and refined version of the tool will be available in about two weeks which is a decent timeline if the app works smoothly.
First Published:

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Hans India
34 minutes ago
- Hans India
Google Tightens Hybrid Work Rules in US, Offers Exit Packages to Remote Employees
In a firm step toward reinforcing its hybrid work culture, Google is asking more of its US-based employees to return to the office—or consider parting ways with the company through a voluntary exit programme. According to an internal memo accessed by Business Insider, the new policy particularly targets teams in strategic units such as Core, Marketing, Research, Knowledge & Information (K&I), and Communications. Notably, the K&I group plays a critical role in shaping flagship offerings like Google Search, commerce, and advertising tools. Employees working remotely but residing within 50 miles of a Google office are now being asked to shift to a hybrid schedule, attending the office at least three days a week. While Google initially introduced its hybrid model in 2022, this recent development significantly expands its enforcement and scope. To ease the transition and support alignment with the company's evolving priorities, Google is extending a voluntary severance option to select employees in the US. 'This option is being provided to help the company focus on the work ahead,' said a Google spokesperson, adding that similar initiatives have shown positive results in other teams. An executive note accompanying the memo explained the rationale behind the move, stating that in light of rapid changes—particularly driven by advancements in AI—the need for stronger collaboration and team cohesion is more important than ever. 'We believe this happens better with in-person work,' the memo noted. While Google maintains this is not a layoff, the announcement has caused unease among some employees. The company emphasizes that this exit path is meant for those who may no longer feel aligned with Google's current direction, while opening doors for others to grow internally. However, some skepticism remains. The tech giant has previously followed similar programs with rounds of layoffs, most notably in 2023 when about 12,000 roles were eliminated globally. This year too, smaller job cuts affected divisions such as Treasury and Business Services. Google has not disclosed how many employees may be impacted by the latest move, but the message is unambiguous: return to office or choose to move on.


Hindustan Times
37 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Every ChatGPT query you make uses water, and Sam Altman has revealed the exact figure
Generative AI has now become part and parcel of our daily lives. Many organisations are resorting to using chatbots, like ChatGPT, and even the LLMs behind these chatbots to get their work done through agent tech, AI, and whatnot. However, what if we told you that OpenAI's boss and the man behind ChatGPT, Sam Altman, recently revealed how much water is used for every one of your ChatGPT queries? This was revealed in a blog post by Sam Altman himself, titled 'The Gentle Singularity'. He revealed this while talking about data centre production, automation, and the cost of intelligence eventually converging to near the cost of electricity. Sam Altman stated that people are often curious about how much energy a ChatGPT query uses. In terms of electricity, it is about 0.34 watt-hours. This is something an oven would use in over one second, or a high-efficiency light bulb would use in a little over a couple of minutes. As for the water, Altman says that a query uses about 0.000085 gallons of water (0.00032 litres), which in real-world equivalent is about one-fifteenth of a teaspoon. So, for example, using ChatGPT 1,000 times would result in approximately 0.32 litres of water being consumed. Well, time and again, it has been propagated that running these AI models requires large data centres and large compute power. And for all of that work, you do need more electricity, more power generation, and of course, water. This is where the larger carbon footprint comes into play. Having said that, while Altman does mention some figures in his official blog post, it is not really clear how he came to these conclusions or if there has been research about this at OpenAI. MOBILE FINDER: iPhone 16 LATEST Price, Specs And More


India.com
39 minutes ago
- India.com
Bad news for employees of this company as it plans another round of firing due too…, offering employees…
Google layoffs: After laying off around 200 employees from its global business unit in May this year as part of restructuring efforts, Google is reportedly going to layoff more employees. The company has offered a 'voluntary exit program' to its employees in different divisions like core Search team according to CNBC 's report. The exact number of employees who will be affected by these buyouts are not disclosed. Employees from Google's Knowledge and Information (K&I), Central Engineering, marketing, research, and communications teams will be affected by buyouts. According to a media report, mid to senior-level employees will receive severances of up to 14 weeks of salary and one additional week for every full year of service. The buyouts are given mainly to US-based employees. Some teams are also asking their employees to return to the office. Those who are living within 50 miles of a Google office are expected to comply with the return-to-office (RTO) mandate. Google has already shifted to a hybrid work model. 'Earlier this year, some of our teams introduced a voluntary exit program with severance for US-based Googlers, and several more are now offering the program to support our important work ahead,' CNBC quoted Google spokesperson Courtenay Mencini as saying in an email. Google's K&I, where 20,000 people work is also offering buyouts to the team members, Nick Fox, head of the division, sent a memo to employees to voluntarily resign if they don't feel aligned with the team's goals or are not meeting performance expectations. 'I want to be very clear: If you're excited about your work, energised by the opportunity ahead, and performing well, I really (really!) hope you don't take this! We have ambitious plans and tons to get done,' CNBC quoted a memo by Fox to employees. He added, 'On the other hand, this VEP offers a supportive exit path for those of you who don't feel aligned with our strategy, don't feel energised by your work, or are having difficulty meeting the expectations of your role.'