Google Photos is rolling out AI-powered search now – and it could be its biggest upgrade in years

Google Photos is already a powerful, searchable archive of personal memories – and now Google is rolling out a Gemini-powered upgrade that could see it fully replace your brain for recalling specific life events.

As spotted by 9to5Google, Google has started rewarding those who signed up for its new 'Ask Photos' waitlist with an early rollout of the feature in the US. The tool, which lets you search you Google Photos library with natural language questions like "where did we camp last time we went to Yosemite?", is now appearing for many in the Google Photos app.

The rollout confirms that 'Ask Photos' will effectively replace the current 'Search' tab in the app's bottom bar. Once you've agreed to Google's data requests (more on that later), it'll work across Google Photos on all platforms tied to your account. You can apparently still use the old search, but only if you asked the question in Ask Photos first.

The feature is mainly focused on answering questions about the people in your life, but Google says it'll also be a helpful vacation assistant. One of its example questions during the launch back at Google IO 2024 was "what did we eat at the hotel in Stanley?" and it'll presumably also be able to recall hotel names, license plates and more – in short, anything that you've photographed and backed up.

Unfortunately, 'Ask Photos' is currently a US-only feature, but we've asked Google for an update on a potential global rollout and we'll update this story if we hear back.

A frighteningly knowledgeable sidekick

Google Photos has morphed from being a fairly basic photo organizer to an AI-powered memory bank – and the new 'Ask Photos' feature is its biggest search upgrade for some time. For some, the new feature will be a lifesaver, but others could understandably balk as its slightly invasive powers.

Google says you don't need to worry about the answers from 'Ask Photos' being reviewed by humans. That said, it says that in order to improve the feature "queries may be reviewed by humans, but only after being disconnected from your Google Account to protect your privacy."

There's no doubt that search is the main appeal of Google Photos, and it'll be interesting to see how 'Ask Photos' compares to the on-device search available in alternative apps like Apple Photos. But if you'd prefer to opt out of the new age of AI-powered search, you can also check out the best Google Photos alternatives like iDrive.

You can already search your snaps in Google Photos using natural language questions like "kayaking on a lake surrounded by mountains" or "Emma painting in the backyard", thanks to an update that rolled out last month. But 'Ask Photos' takes image library analysis to a new level – and you'll need to decide soon whether or not that's something you want to embrace or nervously back away from. 

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