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Google's AI-Powered 'Ask Photos' Search Feature Now Rolling Out

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Google today said it has started rolling out early access to a new "Ask Photos" feature for its Google Photos app. Available to both iOS and Android users, the new Google Photos feature takes advantage of Google's Gemini AI to provide new ways to search.

google-photos-ask-photos.jpg

With Ask Photos, users can use natural language search terms to find specific memories or information in their images. Google says that Google Photos users can ask all sorts of questions to find content from their image libraries, with the feature able to search through all of a person's Google Photos images to bring up relevant results. Some examples:
  • What are the best photos from each national park I visited?
  • Where did I camp last year?
  • When do my tickets expire?
  • What were the best things we saw on our trip?
  • What did I eat at the hotel in [location]?
  • What did I eat at the market in Thailand?
  • What are the best photos from the birthday party?
  • What themes have we had for family birthday parties?
Ask Photos is able to understand the context and subject of photos to provide answers to questions. With the last question listed above, for example, Ask Photos can see what decorations are in the background of an image or on a birthday cake to answer the query.

The feature can be used to curate the best images taken on a trip, saving editing time. It can also provide trip highlights, and suggest top pictures complete with captions to share on social media.

Google says that personal data in Google Photos isn't used for ads, but some queries will be reviewed by humans to improve the feature. Data will not be linked to a Google Account for privacy protection purposes. Answers provided by Ask Photos, including photos and videos, are not reviewed by humans unless feedback is provided or in rare cases to address abuse or harm.

Ask Photos was already previewed at Google I/O, but it has now started rolling out, with Google providing early access to select iOS and Android Google Photos users. Those who want to try the feature can sign up for the waitlist on Google's website.

Article Link: Google's AI-Powered 'Ask Photos' Search Feature Now Rolling Out
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2024/09/05/google-ask-photos-search/
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Reactions: decypher44
Anything involving Google Gemini and photos... hard pass. Guess I should have just said anything Google, hard pass.

"Gemini, show me what German soldiers from the WWII era look like"... woof!

Not trusting that "AI" with anything!
 
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Reactions: wanha, decypher44, dominiongamma and 2 others
If I trusted Google or Microsoft with private data it would be one thing but I don’t. I’m willing to wait for Apple to catch up. I have confidence they can but they are still a year or more behind unless they’ve got a ton of stuff ready for release and are holding back in the 18.1 betas which I doubt.
 
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Reactions: viachicago22 and fatTribble
It’s interesting to me that google is able to do that in their photos app regardless of the platform they’re running on. I would have thought dedicated hardware was needed. But this is not my area of expertise.
 
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canadianreader said:
I'd be interested to read the ToS and privacy policy of these kind of services.
Click to expand...
They claim the following but it’s Google we’re talking about here:
“As always, your data in Google Photos is never used for ads and protected with our industry-leading security measures. To help us improve Ask Photos, queries may be reviewed by humans, but only after being disconnected from your Google Account to protect your privacy.”

Source: https://blog.google/products/photos/google-ask-photos-early-access/
 
fatTribble said:
It’s interesting to me that google is able to do that in their photos app regardless of the platform they’re running on. I would have thought dedicated hardware was needed. But this is not my area of expertise.
Click to expand...
When everything goes back to their servers where they train on your personal data, they are going to make sure they have enough processing power.

The only thing they (ahem) promise is that it won’t be used for ads. But they will keep it secure (from competitors).
 
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steve09090 said:
When everything goes back to their servers where they train on your personal data, they are going to make sure they have enough processing power.

The only thing they (ahem) promise is that it won’t be used for ads. But they will keep it secure (from competitors).
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If you go by googles track record, they will probably use it for ads. When caught, they love to call it a bug and pretend nothing happened. I wouldn’t be surprised if there is a bug which makes Google loads of ad revenue if these features pick up.
 
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TechnoMonk said:
If you go by googles track record, they will probably use it for ads. When caught, they love to call it a bug and pretend nothing happened. I wouldn’t be surprised if there is a bug which makes Google loads of ad revenue if these features pick up.
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Agreed. They train on your data and the sole purpose of Google is to make money through ads. So…. QED.
 
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zinacef said:
They claim the following but it’s Google we’re talking about here:
“As always, your data in Google Photos is never used for ads and protected with our industry-leading security measures. To help us improve Ask Photos, queries may be reviewed by humans, but only after being disconnected from your Google Account to protect your privacy.”

Source: https://blog.google/products/photos/google-ask-photos-early-access/
Click to expand...

I wonder if that's because it's an early access.
 
WarmWinterHat said:
Sounds better than the iOS 18 "update" to the photos app.
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You prefer to have Google have access, search and catalogue all of your photo's?

From Google themselves.
The information in your photos can be deeply personal, and we take the responsibility of protecting it very seriously. And people will not review your conversations and personal data in Ask Photos, except in rare cases to address abuse or harm​

How do they not search and catalogue your 'deeply personal photos' if they don’t review the conversations and photos. And who gave them permission to listen to our conversations in our videos on the camera roll in the first place?
 
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Reactions: T-Will, wanha, viachicago22 and 1 other person
zinacef said:
They claim the following but it’s Google we’re talking about here:
“As always, your data in Google Photos is never used for ads and protected with our industry-leading security measures. To help us improve Ask Photos, queries may be reviewed by humans, but only after being disconnected from your Google Account to protect your privacy.”

Source: https://blog.google/products/photos/google-ask-photos-early-access/
Click to expand...
They also say they 'address' abuse and harm, so this bit about separating your personal data is a bald face lie. But it’s Google, so it’s kind of synonymous with lying.
 
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dominiongamma said:
Agree
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Honestly I’m gonna stay with 17 for this reason. Photos app is my most used one. Cannot even imagine dealing that mess! They should give us the choice for “classic” and “new” interface, but Apple is never been known to give choices
 
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