My first week at Google in 2014, I was asked to send a company-wide dogfood email about automatic teeth whitening in Photos. We got draaaaaged hard by offended Googlers, & the feature never launched.
The important lesson: cosmetic stuff can be welcome, but only as opt-in, not as AI-imposed judgement of your appearance. I used to liken the difference to my wife walking through a department store & being offered a makeover by a beauty products salesperson—versus that person simply grabbing her & applying the makeup.
In any case, now you can opt into using these features in Photos (only on Android at the moment, it appears):
New touch-up tools are now rolling out in Google Photos to help you make quick, subtle fixes — like refining skin texture, brightening eyes, or whitening teeth. You’re in total control of the chosen effect intensity for every face in the frame. pic.twitter.com/CqgbNXjPIm
— Google Photos (@googlephotos) April 20, 2026