6 days ago
Google Halts ‘Ask Photos' AI Feature to Address Performance Issues
Google has temporarily halted the rollout of its new AI-driven 'Ask Photos' feature in Google Photos. Launched as a slow expansion since late last year, the experimental tool was designed to help users search their photo libraries using natural language powered by Google's Gemini AI models.
However, the company is now taking a step back. Jamie Aspinall, a product manager for Google Photos, acknowledged the move in a post on X (formerly Twitter), stating: 'Ask Photos isn't where it needs to be.' He cited concerns over latency, quality, and overall user experience.
The tool, based on a version of Google's most advanced Gemini models customised specifically for Ask Photos, has been paused in limited rollout numbers while the team works on improvements. Aspinall added that a better version addressing these shortcomings is expected to be released within two weeks: 'that brings back the speed and recall of the original search.'
Meanwhile, Google continues enhancing the core functionality of Google Photos. The company recently announced improvements to keyword search, allowing users to find exact matches by using quotation marks around filenames, camera models, captions, or embedded text. Searching without quotes will also return visual matches, expanding the way users can locate content within their photo libraries.
First introduced at Google I/O 2024, Ask Photos was promoted as a helpful assistant for answering common-sense queries—like identifying birthday party themes or recalling national park visits—using both image content and embedded text. As the company previously explained, 'Gemini's multimodal capabilities can help understand exactly what's happening in each photo and can even read text in the image if required.'
This isn't the first time Google has paused an AI feature rollout, as it navigates the complex and fast-evolving space of generative AI alongside growing competition from other tech giants and startups.
