Google's Gemini Spark can now manage your Google Photos library

Google is expanding the integration of artificial intelligence into its services, announcing that its personal agent, Gemini Spark, is now able to manage users' Google Photos libraries. This means people can ask Gemini Spark to carry out tasks within Google Photos — editing images, curating albums, automatically creating shared albums featuring favorite photos, converting concert flyer images into calendar appointments, and running various workflows.

Google Photos lead Shimrit Ben-Yair announced the new capabilities in a post on X on Thursday evening, saying the feature would roll out gradually over the coming weeks to eligible Gemini AI Pro and Ultra subscribers in the United States, in English. The company has not said whether or when the capability might expand to markets outside the U.S.

Industry context

The update is another example of Google's efforts to make AI appealing to everyday consumers — in this case, by automating tedious tasks and helping people manage increasingly large photo collections. The announcement comes as the AI industry grapples with criticism that it has failed to clearly communicate the real-world benefits of the technology to the public. This week, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman told Bloomberg that the industry has not done a good job explaining the benefits of the technology, which has contributed to backlash in communities around the world.

To use Gemini Spark with Google Photos, users first need to connect Google Photos to Gemini, then enable the Spark toggle in the top corner of the Gemini app before entering their prompt.