Pinterest debuts generative AI-based visual search features
Pinterest is expanding the virtual search capabilities of its platform.
The social network is introducing a set of new visual search features that allows users to further interact with image pins for women’s fashion content across the U.S., Canada and the U.K., and will expand to more categories and countries over time.
"Our visual search technology represents a shift in how users interact with and discover inspiration," said Dana Cho, Pinterest VP of design. "We're not simply delivering search results—we're curating a personalized journey of discovery that empowers individuals to find their unique style and shop it too."
[READ MORE: Adobe: Pinterest emerges as search engine]
Pinterest is expanding where users in eligible markets can obtain access its visual search features, including the "search image" button, by enabling them to long press on any pin on their home feed.
The company is leveraging visual language models (VLMs), a form of generative AI, to let users describe their style ideas with imagery, and has integrated multimodal embedding models to allow them to more easily search using a combination of image and text to find the exact content matching their specific tastes.
When users view a pin, Pinterest will now generate the words they can use to figure out what they like about the image, and then further explore and shop. To help users more easily identify and select the objects that they want to see and shop more of, Pinterest is adding a new animated glow.
As a result, Pinterest is now able to break down and decode images so users can search and shop for the details of an outfit such as overall aesthetic, color palette, specific fit, or product category. For example, if a user sees an outfit they like, they can use the "style" refinement to see similar outfits that match a specific style preference or use the "occasion" refinement to see more formal options.
Other visual search features offered by Pinterest include enabling users to leverage its Lens tool to take images from offline or online and show similar items for sale from a range of retailers and price points. The company also provides a "shop similar" feature using its visual search technology to recommend product pins that are visually similar to the content within a pin, giving consumers the ability to shop what they see, including on video content.
