Why Google AI Photo Tools Are Blocked In Two States

Google's New AI Photo Features Go Dark in Two States

Google has confirmed that some of its new Gemini-powered AI features for Google Photos are currently unavailable to users in Texas and Illinois. The company acknowledged to Engadget that the 'Ask Photos' feature is inaccessible in these two states, and reports indicate that 'Conversational Editing' is also missing.

In a statement, Google mentioned, "The ability to ask Photos to edit your images is not available to users in Texas and Illinois at this time. We are working to determine how to make Ask Photos available to more users." However, the company did not provide a specific reason for this regional restriction.

Biometric Data Laws and Past Lawsuits Offer Clues

While Google remains silent on the cause, the most probable explanation connects back to significant legal battles over data privacy. As first reported by the Houston Chronicle, Google has faced major lawsuits in both states concerning the collection of biometric data.

In 2022, Google settled an Illinois class-action lawsuit for $200 million over data privacy concerns within Google Photos. More recently, the company reached a settlement in Texas for $1.4 billion regarding the collection of user data without proper consent. The central issue in both cases was the handling of biometric information, specifically through facial recognition technology.

The Complex Challenge of User Consent

Both of the unavailable AI features require the "face grouping" setting to be enabled in Google Photos. This function utilizes automated facial recognition to identify and group pictures of the same individual. The legal difficulty arises from state laws that mandate informed consent before biometric data can be collected.

As noted by 9to5Google, while the person who owns the Google Photos account agrees to the terms and conditions, the numerous other people who may appear in their photos have not. This creates a complex legal situation, likely prompting Google to act cautiously and restrict access in states with stringent biometric privacy laws.

What is Ask Photos and Conversational Editing

For users outside of Texas and Illinois, these new tools offer powerful ways to interact with their photo libraries. Ask Photos allows you to use natural language queries to find images, such as asking, "Show me my best pictures from national parks."

Conversational Editing, which debuted with the Pixel 10 series and later expanded to more Android devices, lets users edit photos by simply describing the changes they want to make.