Google Halts 'Ask Photos' AI Feature to Fix Performance Issues

In a move that has raised eyebrows in the tech community, Google has decided to pause the rollout of its highly anticipated AI-powered "Ask Photos" feature within Google Photos.

- TBG NETWORK

Initially launched as an experimental feature last fall, "Ask Photos" leverages Google's Gemini AI models to offer users an innovative way to search through their photo libraries by asking natural language questions, The Verge reported.

The feature, which had been slowly rolling out to a select group of users, aims to allow individuals to query their photo collection for specific themes, events, or text-based elements.

However, product manager Jamie Aspinall revealed that the feature has been temporarily pulled back after feedback citing issues with latency, quality, and overall user experience.

"Ask Photos isn't where it needs to be," wrote Aspinall on his X handle, following an influx of criticism from users.

The product manager confirmed that the feature's rollout would be paused for "very small numbers" of users while the team addresses the concerns.

Aspinall emphasized that in about two weeks, a more refined version of the feature would be made available, one that would restore the speed and accuracy that the initial rollout had promised.

The pause follows growing scrutiny of AI-powered features, with Google's "Ask Photos" being no exception.