The recently launched Google Photos app was behind the error, which resulted in gorilla tags turning up in the search feature.

Web developer Jacky Alciné was the first to draw Google’s attention to the issue, tweeting earlier this week that “my friend's not a gorilla”.

Google Photos, y'all fucked up. My friend's not a gorilla. pic.twitter.com/SMkMCsNVX4 — diri noir avec banan (@jackyalcine) June 29, 2015

“What kind of sample image data you collected that would result in this?” he asked.

The company has since removed the gorilla categories, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Chief architect of social at Google, Yonatan Zunger, first tackled the issue, responding to Mr Alcine on Twitter several hours after his initial tweet.

Mr Zunger described it was “100 per cent not ok”, after the more colourful response of “holy f**k”.

@jackyalcine Thank you for telling us so quickly! Sheesh. High on my list of bugs you *never* want to see happen. ::shudder:: — Yonatan Zunger (@yonatanzunger) June 29, 2015

Mr Zunger said the company was working on “longer-term fixes” with the app, with better recognition of skin tones.

Issues involving partially blurred faces will also be addressed.

@jackyalcine Lots of work being done, and lots still to be done. But we're very much on it. — Yonatan Zunger (@yonatanzunger) June 29, 2015

Mr Alcine’s post has also attracted a variety of racist remarks, which have been condemned by Google as disappointing.

Mr Alcine has since been forced to block responses from unknown Twitter accounts.