Google is marking the 25th anniversary of its image search with a major redesign that adds AI-generated images directly to search results and introduces personalized photo galleries.

The search giant launched image search in July 2001, reportedly inspired by the green Versace dress Jennifer Lopez wore to the 2000 Grammy Awards. Engineers realized people searching for the dress wanted to see it, not read about it.

The updated Google Images will display a continuously refreshing gallery of photos before users search for anything. The gallery will be curated based on individual web and search history, surfacing content aligned with users' demonstrated interests.

Google is also bringing its Nano Banana image generation model to AI Overviews. Users can now request AI-generated images directly in search queries, with the results appearing in the AI Overview section that sits above organic search results.

Collections feature gets prominence

The redesign resurrects Collections, an underused feature that lets users save images to organized folders. These collections will appear in a menu at the top of the main gallery for easier access.

The AI image generation capability was previously available in Gemini and expanded to AI Mode earlier this year. Adding it to AI Overviews means generated images will push traditional search results further down the page.

Both the refreshed Images interface and AI Overview image generation will roll out over the coming weeks. The features will initially be limited to accounts set to English, with broader language support expected later.

The changes reflect Google's broader push to integrate AI across its search products, even as the company faces scrutiny over how AI Overviews affect traffic to publisher websites. The image search update continues this trend by making AI-generated content more prominent in visual search results.