Google's Gemini AI is now integrated across Gmail and Workspace apps, offering features like email summaries, drafting replies, and to-do list creation. Many of these features are enabled by default, raising privacy concerns about whether personal emails are used to train AI models. Google states it does not train foundational models like Gemini on personal emails, and data is processed only for isolated tasks without retention.
However, connecting Workspace apps to Search services may allow data to improve Google services, including training generative AI models on summaries and inferences. Users can disable these smart features in Gmail Settings under "Smart features" and "Google Workspace smart features," which applies account-wide. The rollout reflects a broader industry trend of trading privacy for AI-driven productivity, though the actual efficiency gains remain debated.
Source: Engadget · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing