TechCapsules

AI-summarised brief · reviewed before publication

Khamosh Pathak, a seasoned freelancer tech journalist with over 13 years of experience, has been following the development of Google's AI-powered Ask Photos feature. The feature, which was announced last year, was intended to upgrade the regular photo search feature with a Gemini AI search. However, when it started rolling out to the public, it failed to impress due to its slow performance, particularly when users wanted to find specific photos. This issue was so significant that some users, including colleagues, started using a workaround to skip Ask Photos altogether and revert to the classic search option. Google acknowledged the problem and paused the rollout of the feature earlier this month. According to a Google Product Manager, the feature wasn't "where it needs to be, in terms of latency, quality, and UX." Now, Google is resuming the rollout of Ask Photos, addressing the latency issue that was perhaps the biggest problem with the feature. Ask Photos combines Gemini AI and regular photo search, allowing users to ask complex questions like "find all the photos from 2012 when I had short hair" or "find all the photos of my old van parked at the beach." The feature uses Gemini AI to understand the query and search the user's photo library. The main issue with Ask Photos was its slow performance, particularly with single-word searches like "cats," "nature," or "boat." Google has fixed this issue, ensuring that short search phrases will now yield instant results, similar to the classic search. Additionally, the company claims to have improved complex searches, making them faster as well. For instance, when users ask for photos from a specific vacation or photos featuring both their kids on the beach, Google will display the results more quickly. The updated Ask Photos feature is set to roll out to a wider audience, promising a more efficient and user-friendly experience.