Google is celebrating the 25th anniversary of Google Images by introducing two new features and reflecting on major milestones in visual search. The new browsable home for Google Images offers a dynamic, immersive gallery updated in real time and tailored to user interests. Users can save ideas to collections, which appear as tabs above the gallery for easy access. This feature will roll out over the coming weeks on desktop in the U.S. in English.
Additionally, Google is bringing image generation directly into AI Overviews in Search using its latest Nano Banana model. This allows users to create custom visuals from text prompts, bridging imagination and reality. The feature will roll out in English over the coming weeks for regions that support image creation in AI Mode.
Key milestones in visual search include: 2001 launch of Google Images; 2009 Similar Images; 2011 Search by Image; 2018 Google Lens in Search; 2022 Multisearch in Lens; 2024 Circle to Search; 2025 Lens + AI Mode, Search Live, and Visual Results in AI Mode; and 2026 Circle to Search Multi-Object Recognition and Intelligent Search Box.
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