6–12 Apr 2025
Cosener's House
Europe/London timezone

AI Meets Databases: How to build an image search using pgvector extension of PostgreSQL

8 Apr 2025, 16:15

Description

Finding the right image in a large collection can be a challenge, especially when relying on traditional keyword-based search. This presentation is a HOWTO instruction on building a system that combines AI model with pgvector to enable natural language image retrieval and similarity search. By embedding images into a high-dimensional space using CLIP model and storing these embeddings in a pgvector PostgreSQL database, the system allows users to search for images using simple text descriptions—no need for exact keywords or metadata. The result is an intuitive, AI-powered search experience that returns visually relevant results based on semantic meaning. We’ll dive into how the system works, discuss real-world use cases, and explore performance considerations for scaling. To make it even more interesting, the photos that I'll be using are from my personal collection.

Speaker

Andrzej Nowicki (CERN)

Presentation materials