Former Google Engineer Launches Website to Expose AI's Photo Analysis Capabilities

New website shows you how much Google AI can learn from your photos

Software engineer Vishnu Mohandas decided he would quit Google in more ways than one when he learned that the tech giant had briefly helped the US military develop AI to study drone footage. In 2020 he left his job working on Google Assistant and also stopped backing up all of his images to Google Photos. He feared that his content could be used to train AI systems, even if they weren't specifically ones tied to the Pentagon project. "I don't control any of the future outcomes that this will enable," Mohandas thought. "So now, shouldn't I be more responsible?" Mohandas, who taught himself programming and is based in Bengaluru, India, decided he wanted to develop an alternative service for storing and sharing photos that is open source and end-to-end encrypted. Something "more private, wholesome, and trustworthy," he says. The paid service he designed, Ente, is profitable and says it has more than 100,000 users, many of whom are already part of the privacy-obsessed crowd. But Mohandas struggled to articulate to wider audiences why they should reconsider relying on Google Photos, despite all the conveniences it offers. Then one weekend in May, an intern at Ente came up with an idea: Give people a sense of what some of Google's AI models can learn from studying images. Last month, Ente launched https://Theyseeyourphotos.com, a website and marketing stunt designed to turn Google's technology against itself. People can upload any photo to the website, which is then sent to a Google Cloud computer visionprogram that writes a startlingly thorough three-paragraph description of it. (Ente prompts the AI model to document small details in the uploaded images.) One of the first photos Mohandas tried uploading was a selfie with his wife and daughter in front of a temple in Indonesia. Google's analysis was exhaustive, even documenting the specific watch model that his wife was wearing, a Casio F-91W. But then, Mohandas says, the AI did something strange: It noted that Casio F-91W watches are commonly associated with Islamic extremists. "We had to tweak the prompts to make it slightly more wholesome but still spooky," Mohandas says. Ente started asking the model to produce short, objective outputs -- nothing dark.

This Website Reveals What Google's AI Can Learn From Your Photos

A website, developed by a former Google employee, shows a user exactly what the tech giant's AI can learn from their photos. Software engineer Vishnu Mohandas launched the website Theyseeyourphotos.com as a service and marketing stunt to turn Google's technology against itself, according to a report by Wired. Users can upload any photo to the website. The photo is then sent to Google Cloud computer vision program which generates a three-paragraph description of the image. According to Wired, the website is intended to give users a sense of what some of Google's AI models can glean from studying their photos. Mohandas previously worked for Google. However, he quit his job in 2020 when he discovered that Google was reportedly helping the U.S. military develop AI to study drone footage. When he left the company, he also stopped backing up all of his images to Google Photos, fearful that his pictures would be used to train its AI systems. Mohandas instead went on to found the company Ente -- a privacy-focused and paid alternative to Google Photos, which reportedly has over 100,000 users. With Ente, Mohandas wanted to make an alternative service for storing and sharing photos that is open source and end-to-end encrypted. However, Mohandas found it challenging to convey to broader audiences why they should rethink their reliance on Google Photos, despite its many conveniences. But earlier this year, an intern at Ente proposed an idea: show people what Google's AI models can uncover by analyzing images. The website Theyseeyourphotos.com was thus born. Users can upload any photo to Theyseeyourphotos.com or choose from several pre-chosen stock images to experiment with the website and see what Google's AI can learn from an image. Wired reports that when Mohandas uploaded a selfie with his wife and daughter in front of a temple in Indonesia, Google's analysis was remarkably detailed, even identifying the specific watch model his wife was wearing -- a Casio F-91W. Mohandas tells Wired that if the website encourages a user to switch from Google Photos and try another image storage service like Ente, the process of transferring images may be a challenging one. The Ente CEO claims that Google complicates transfers of photo libraries by breaking up files and compressing them. Mohandas also alleges that Google Play has repeatedly flagged Ente's app for issues like pricing transparency, which he disputes. Google spokesperson Colin Smith declined to comment on Ente's project but referred Wired to support pages explaining that uploads to Google Photos are used to train AI models designed to help users manage their image libraries, such as analyzing age and location. The company states it does not sell content from Google Photos to third parties or use it for advertising. While users can disable some analysis features, they cannot fully prevent Google from accessing their images, as the data lacks end-to-end encryption.