It’s been 25 years since Jennifer Lopez invented Google Images. Well, more accurately, since she inspired its creation.
When Lopez walked the red carpet at the 2000 Grammys in a filmy green Versace dress, she caused a stir and a flurry of searches on Google.
“At the time, it was the most popular search query we had ever seen,” former Google CEO and Chairman Eric Schmidt wrote on Project Syndicate in 2015. “But we had no surefire way of getting users exactly what they wanted: JLo wearing that dress. Google Image Search was born.”
A new look for a new era
To celebrate the anniversary, Google Images has undergone a makeover, which it describes as a “brand new browseable home.”
It’s populated by “a dynamic, immersive gallery of images from across the web — updated in real time and intelligently tailored to your unique interests.”
Images can be saved in Google’s collections feature which will live in tabs above the main gallery. The overall effect is very much like Pinterest or Instagram’s Explore page.
The new look is rolling out over the next few weeks on Google Images on desktop in the US and will require signing in to Google to use.
Create your own images
Google had another image-related announcement today: the addition of image-generation to its AI Overviews in Search.
Powered by the latest Nano Banana model, Nano Banana 2 Lite, it turns text prompts into visuals. Google’s example shows the tool being used to select a bathroom wall color.
The feature is rolling out in the next few weeks in English to regions that support AI mode image creation.
A walk down memory lane
Google took the opportunity to highlight some of the features introduced to Google Images over the years, from a way to find similar images starting in 2009 to this year’s Circle to Search multi-object recognition and the ability to ask detailed questions about images right in search.
