(Credit: Google)
Google Lens now lets you ask questions about the world using only your voice following its latest update, which adds a bundle of new AI capabilities.
Users can now point their camera at whatever interests them, hold down their phone’s shutter button, and ask the app a question—just like you would a close friend sitting next to you. You’ll then be given AI-generated replies, alongside links to learn more, generated using Google’s Gemini AI platform. You can check it out in the Google app now for English queries.
Google Lens also added new "video understanding" capabilities, which it first previewed at Google I/O in May. This means you can take videos using Lens and have the app answer questions about any moving objects you see. For example, you can point your camera at a school of fish or a flock of birds, and Google Lens will give you an AI-generated overview that explains why they are swimming or flying together.
This video option is available globally in the Android and iOS Google app for Search Labs users enrolled in the “AI Overviews and more” experiment.
One of Google Lens' most popular real-world use cases until now has been retail therapy; people can use the app to find visually similar matches to items of clothing. For example, users can scan an image of a designer handbag from a magazine or TV series and find a much cheaper lookalike alternative elsewhere.
According to Google, this feature is now receiving a hefty upgrade. Starting this week, users will get a more detailed results page that shows additional key information about the item of clothing they are looking for, including reviews, price info across different retailers, and where to buy.
This year has seen Google release plenty of other innovative AI-search products, like its "Circle to Search" function. If something jumps out as interesting during a smartphone scrolling session, you search for it by just highlighting or circling it with your finger on supported phones.