You might be shocked to hear this, but Google Images has been around for 25 years.
Ever since it debuted on July 12, 2001, everyone has used the free online service to look up and download all manner of images. It’s funny when you think about why it came into existence in the first place: Google Images was created in response to the viral demand for the iconic green Versace dress that Jennifer Lopez wore at the 2000 Grammy Awards. The online service started with an offering of about 250 million images—that number has now reached into the billions.
In celebration of Google Images’ 25th anniversary, the service is getting two major upgrades. One of them will revamp its signature user interface and the other will allow users to create their own images for free with a simple Google Search prompt.
Here’s how that second upcoming feature will work.
Easy AI image generation with Google Search
In an official blog post released by Google, the tech giant noted that its upcoming AI image generation feature comes from them recognizing that sometimes the perfect image for its users may not exist. With that sentiment in mind, it wanted to give those same users the ability to produce the type of image they're looking for with the assistance of Google Search.
Simply typing in a prompt in the search bar will result in your AI image getting generated directly in the AI Overviews section. This upcoming feature will be powered by the latest Nana Banana model, Nano Banana 2 Lite. AI image generation in AI Overviews will begin rolling out in the coming weeks in English across all the regions that currently support image generation in AI Mode.
In anticipation of that Google Search update, I came up with 10 creative prompts that could be fun to use to see if its AI image generator works as well as it’s advertised:
- Create a thriller movie poster about a human detective who knows tomorrow's headlines.
- Create a visual of Egyptian pyramids being built with futuristic machinery.
- Create a visual of the ultimate breakfast sandwich.
- Create a visual of a LEGO-designed luxury apartment.
- Create a visual of an abandoned mall that has been transformed into a luxury destination.
- Create a visual of what the iPhone 25 design could look like.
- Create a minimalist cyberpunk wallpaper in shades of blue with glowing geometric shapes.
- Create a visual of a city where every building represents a different emotion.
- Create a visual of a realistic travel destination that doesn't actually exist.
- Create a visual of retro synthwave mountains at sunset.
The future makeover coming to Google Images will make the page look more dynamic by having all its displayed images get updated in real time according to your interests. And after saving any of those images within your collections, those collections will now appear as tabs above the main gallery.
Now you’ll have a much easier way to switch between your ongoing image search and your personal batch of saved images. You can look forward to seeing this Google Images user interface makeover for yourself once it rolls out over the coming weeks for desktop users in the US in English.
The takeaway
I’ll be excited to see how good the AI image generator housed within Google Search really is once it finally releases. Playing around with prompts aimed at producing the most eye-popping images possible sounds like a fun experiment I can’t wait to sink a few hours into. And just to celebrate its arrival the right way, I’ll be sure to generate an image of Jennifer Lopez wearing her famous Versace dress in an assortment of different colors. It’s only right, considering Google Images owes its creation to the overwhelming need to see the superstar in her signature dress all those years ago.
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