Google Pauses Rollout of Yet Another AI-Powered Feature | PCMag
Google has put a temporary halt on the rollout of the "Ask Photos" feature in Google Photos, as reported by The Verge. The feature, originally announced at last year's I/O event, leverages Gemini-powered search capabilities to allow users to search for images using conversational terms.
Temporary Pause
Google had initiated the rollout to a select group of Android and iOS users in September; however, the process has now been halted for some users. Google Photos' product manager, Jamie Aspinall, acknowledged that the current version of "Ask Photos" does not meet the necessary standards in terms of speed, quality, and user experience.
Aspinall responded to user feedback regarding the feature's performance issues and announced that an improved version of "Ask Photos" is expected to be released within the next two weeks. The upcoming update aims to address the issues related to speed and search accuracy that users have encountered.
Previous Instances
This is not the first time Google has paused the rollout of an AI feature due to performance issues. In the past, Google had to halt the AI Overviews feature shortly after its launch because of inaccurate and nonsensical responses. Additionally, Gemini's image generation capabilities were temporarily suspended when the AI model produced historically inaccurate outputs.
The pause on the "Ask Photos" feature aligns with Google Photos' introduction of a new search-related functionality. Users can now utilize quotation marks to search for specific words within photos, including text matches in file names, camera models, and captions.
AI-Enhanced Search Functionality
In addition to the "Ask Photos" feature, Google is also rolling out enhanced search capabilities for Google Photos. Users can now easily search for specific phrases within their photos, thanks to the latest AI enhancements.
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