Google plans to relaunch its image-generation AI tool in the next few weeks

After encountering a series of controversies, Google has temporarily withdrawn its artificial intelligence image generation tool, with plans to reintroduce it soon, as announced by Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis. The image generator, introduced earlier this month via Gemini, Google's primary suite of AI models, allows users to input prompts to create images. However, concerns over historical inaccuracies and questionable responses surfaced over the past week, prompting the tool's removal. Hassabis stated during a panel at the Mobile World Congress conference in Barcelona that the feature has been taken offline for rectification. He anticipates its return in the coming weeks, as the product did not perform as intended.

This development follows a recent rebranding initiative by Google, which included renaming its chatbot and unveiling a new app and subscription options. The chatbot, previously known as Bard, is now referred to as Gemini, aligning with the suite of AI models powering the assistant. Some notable issues arose with the image generator, such as providing historically inaccurate depictions. Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai emphasized the company's commitment to AI during its recent earnings call, expressing a desire to offer AI agents capable of handling various tasks within Google Search. Google has acknowledged the issues with Gemini's image generation and is working to address them, indicating plans to release an improved version soon.