iStock deployed Enhanced Search, an AI-powered search feature, in March 2024, allowing customers to find stock images, videos, and illustrations using natural, conversational language rather than exact keyword matches. Enhanced Search is turned on by default for all creative searches on istockphoto.com.

Powered by AI and machine learning models, Enhanced Search interprets descriptive, multi-word phrases — such as 'small red cabin on top of a snowy mountain' — to return thousands of relevant results, even when the exact words do not appear in image metadata. The feature is turned on automatically for creative searches and applies across all languages globally. Users can toggle it off to revert to exact keyword matching. The launch was announced jointly for iStock and its parent brand Getty Images on March 13, 2024.