Google Photos is letting you chat with your pictures thanks to Gemini

What you need to know

• Google introduced an advanced AI feature for Google Photos, powered by Gemini AI, to enhance the platform's robust search capabilities.

• This new tool, dubbed "Ask Photos," allows users to find specific images in their gallery by interacting with Gemini through typed queries.

• Although currently limited to text input, the feature is expected to receive updates, including voice input and further enhancements to the search functionality.

At the 2024 I/O conference, Google CEO Sundar Pichai showcased a new AI feature for Google Photos that's intended to enhance the service's already strong search features, thanks to Gemini AI.

The search giant introduced a new feature called "Ask Photos," designed to let you find specific images in your gallery by chatting with Gemini.

Photos' new feature, rolling out later this summer with more capabilities, will let users search their photo collection using natural language. This relies on AI to understand the content of the photos and other metadata.

The new feature enhances typical image searches, with Gemini able to recognize specific content in images. Google demonstrated this by using a car license plate as an example. When asked about a specific plate number on a particular car model, Google Photos could identify and display the correct license plate details.

Right now, if you want to find a specific license plate, you'd have to scroll through loads of car photos. But with the new AI feature, it's much smarter. It figures out which car you're looking for based on its location and how often it's shown up in your photos over the years. Then, it gives you the license plate number in a text response and shows you a photo to confirm it's right.

Other details like upload date and location will also help speed up searches when you use a prompt or ask a question. Plus, you'll be able to use Ask Photos with videos as well.

The feature will appear as a new tab at the bottom of the Photos app. When you tap on that tab, you'll see the Gemini icon and a welcome message over a bar that invites you to "search or ask about Photos."

For now, you'll need to type your queries into Ask Photos—voice input isn't available yet. But when it rolls out, the regular search bar in your Photos app will get an upgrade to Ask Photos instead.