After complaints, Google will make it easier to disable gen AI search in Photos

After complaints, Google will make it easier to disable gen AI search in Photos

By Ryan Whitwam
Publication Date: 2026-03-10 18:37:00

Google has spent the past few years in a constant state of AI escalation, rolling out new versions of its Gemini models and integrating that technology into every feature possible. To say this has been an annoyance for Google’s userbase would be an understatement. Still, the AI-fueled evolution of Google products continues unabated—except for Google Photos. After waffling on how to handle changes to search in Photos, Google has relented and will add a simple toggle to bring back the classic search experience.

The rollout of the Gemini-powered Ask Photos search experience has not been smooth. According to Google Photos head Shimrit Ben-Yair, the company has heard the complaints. As a result, Google Photos will soon make it easy to go back to the traditional, non-Gemini search system.

If you weren’t using Google Photos from the start, it can be hard to understand just how revolutionary the search experience was. We went…