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Multimodal search is not new to the company. You've been able to search images and text using Lens since the company introduced it back in 2022. The update to Lens will use the company's new artificial intelligence tools to make the experience more insightful. The following thought experiment is used to demonstrate the new abilities of Lens. Rather than searching for what you can see, Google suggests taking a photo of the game and asking questions like "What is this game and how is it played?" Similar to how visual search works with a game, Lens will search the web based on your photo for relevant information. You could take a picture of a dish at a restaurant and ask Lens to show you how to make it, or you could take a photo of a building in a city you're visiting and ask Lens about its history and significance, or you could even take a picture of a trading card This type of tool could be used for education, nutrition, or general shopping, if it works as advertised.
If you know how to use it, you already know about it. You can either use the search/shutter button to take a photo, or use the button to the left to take a photo from your phone. I took a photo of it and asked if it was toxic to dogs. I don't need to ask if this orchid is toxic. I can say "is this toxic" as if I was asking someone in the room with me.