Google Rolls Out Major Gemini, Photos Upgrades

The Google Photos update introduces "Ask Photos," a new search tool powered by Gemini that allows users to ask natural language questions about their photo library. Instead of simple keywords, you can ask complex queries like, "what is my license plate number," and the AI will find the relevant photo and extract the text. Ask Photos can also interpret the context of your images to create a narrative, such as summarizing the themes of a child's birthday parties over the years or identifying when they learned to swim. After an initial pause to improve speed and user experience, the feature is now rolling out to more users in the U.S. and expanding to over 100 countries. To help manage cluttered galleries, new AI features automatically group similar images into "Photo Stacks," designating a "top pick" for the series. The tool also identifies and sorts screenshots and documents into specific albums for items like receipts or IDs, which can be set to auto-archive after 30 days. Conversational editing is another major addition, letting users request specific changes with voice or text commands like "remove the sunglasses" or "make my smile better." This is powered by Gemini's Nano Banana image model, which can use other photos in your library as a reference for more accurate, personalized edits. Underpinning these upgrades is the evolution of the Gemini models themselves, with Gemini 1.5 Pro now available to "Advanced" subscribers. This model features a massive 1 million token context window, capable of processing multiple large documents totaling up to 1,500 pages or summarizing hundreds of emails at once. Beyond Photos, Gemini is being more deeply embedded across Google's services, including a new side panel in Chrome. This allows for AI-assisted multitasking, deeper integration with Google apps, and the ability to use image editing tools powered by Nano Banana without leaving the browser tab.