What is Google's Project Ellmann? Potential AI life storyteller

Google has proposed an internal project, codenamed Ellmann, that explores using AI to create a comprehensive narrative of a user’s life. This potential “life storyteller” would leverage existing data in Google Photos and search history to offer a “bird’s-eye view” of personal experiences and connections.

How it might work? Ellmann would analyze photos, search queries, and potentially other stored information to identify significant events, relationships, and personal interests. Large language models, like Google’s Gemini, would be employed to interpret the data, drawing connections and inferring deeper meaning from seemingly disparate information.

A conversational interface titled “Ellmann Chat” would be powered by this analysis, allowing users to ask questions about their own life stories, such as “When did I graduate from college?” or “Where did I last travel with my friends?”

Beyond factual recall, Ellmann might also present summaries of user preferences, like favorite activities or food choices, based on data patterns and trends.

Of course, the elephant in the room is privacy. Giving AI access to such vast personal data raises serious concerns. Google assures us user privacy is their top priority, but how would Ellmann’s algorithms work? Would we have control over what it learns and shares? These questions remain unanswered for now.

Currently, Project Ellmann is an internal proposal and is not yet confirmed or publicly available.

More here.