Five months back, Google had introduced an AI-based printing service on a trial basis in the United States. Users had to subscribe to Google Photos which would print their pictures and have them home delivered. However, Google has just announced that they will be discontinuing this service by the end of this month, June 30th, 2020.
As per a report by an international news organisation, Google sent out a note to its subscribers saying- “Thank you for your invaluable feedback these last several months. You have provided us with a lot of helpful information about how we can evolve this feature, which we hope to make more widely available. Please keep your eyes open for future updates.”
This service used AI that was fed with an algorithm to pick out the best pictures from the gallery and then have it printed. This service cost was $7.99 for a month.
Why was it controversial?
One major flaw in this service was that people could not select their own photos. Artificial Intelligence algorithm was selecting the best photos and have them printed. Since AI is not yet prepped for understanding human emotions, the pictures were a hit and a miss.
Sometimes people had random screenshots and irrelevant pictures in their library which definitely didn’t need to have a physical memoir. Although Google did allow them to customize the kind of photos users could select, but the options were limited.
Another drawback to this service was the hefty subscription charges. To get photos printed, it costs lesser when you go to a nearby printing store. To pay that amount and receive pictures that may not even be relevant seemed like a colossal waste of money.
This cancelling of this service mostly won’t affect the revenue of Google or Google Photos.
Google’s update during the pandemic…
As the world continues to battle the deadly coronavirus, Google has also been updating its services for the same. The company partnered with tech giant Apple to develop a contact tracing app that could help understand and contain the spread of the virus.
The company also updated Google Maps to fit the needs of the new normal. They have also launched programmes that help in cutting down scams during the pandemic. Being one of the largest companies in the world, they have also encouraged work from home for employees until next year.