Google is replacing the minimalist search bar at images.google.com with a personalized, continuously updated image gallery, and adding AI image generation directly inside AI Overviews in Google Search. Brad Kellett, Senior Engineering Director for Search at Google, announced both changes in a July 14, 2026 blog post on the Google blog.
A New Default Experience at Google Images
The redesigned Google Images homepage replaces what was largely a blank search field. Signed-in users in the United States will instead see a browsable, continuously updated gallery of images tailored to their interests. Images saved to Google Collections will appear as tabs above the feed, providing quick access to previously explored topics.
The search bar itself is not being removed. Google Images will retain search features on the new homepage, with the search box remaining at the top and supporting text, voice, and image-based queries.
The redesigned homepage will begin rolling out over the coming weeks for desktop users in the U.S. in English. Users will need to sign in with a Google Account to access the experience.
Image Generation Comes to AI Overviews
Image generation inside AI Overviews turns a text prompt into a custom image built using Google's latest Nano Banana model, the image system it has been expanding across Search and Chrome this year. Google said the tool is intended for situations where users want an image that is not already available online or need help visualizing a specific concept. It can also be used to compare ideas or reimagine spaces, such as testing different room designs or colour schemes.
Google will roll out this image generation feature within AI Overviews over the coming weeks in English, for all regions that currently support image creation in AI Mode.
The Nano Banana Model
The Nano Banana model used to power image generation in AI Overviews has a defined lineage within Google's product family. The original Nano Banana became a viral sensation in August 2025, redefining image generation and editing. In November 2025, Google released Nano Banana Pro, offering users advanced intelligence and studio-quality creative control. Google then unveiled Nano Banana 2, also known as Gemini 3.1 Flash Image, on February 26, 2026, as the latest AI image generation model available free to the public. All images created through the model carry a SynthID watermark, Google's designation for AI-generated images.
Origins of Google Images
Google Images launched in July 2001 after demand for photos of Jennifer Lopez's green Versace Grammy dress demonstrated that blue-link search results were not enough for image-heavy queries. The July 14 anniversary blog post traces the platform's evolution across 25 years, from the 2009 Similar Images feature and the 2011 Search by Image function, through the 2018 introduction of Google Lens, to 2024's Circle to Search, which now supports multi-object recognition for identifying multiple objects in a single image using Google's visual image fan-out technique.
Implications for Search Marketers
The addition of AI-generated images inside AI Overviews extends the footprint of that surface on the results page. The added images within AI Overviews could discourage clicks from Google Search results. If users receive the image they want directly within the AI Overview, it may reduce traffic to both image publishers and, in some cases, Google Images itself. For SEOs and content strategists, the personalized gallery model at images.google.com also shifts the discovery entry point away from keyword-driven queries toward interest-based browsing tied to signed-in account history, a meaningful change to how image content surfaces organically.
Image generation in AI Overviews will roll out over the coming weeks in English for all regions that currently support image creation in AI Mode, Kellett confirmed in the July 14 blog post.
