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Gemini could be poking through your emails – here’s how to stop it
Google says Gemini can read email content to carry out tasks such as summarising messages, drafting replies and making to-do lists, but says it does not train its foundational AI models on personal emails. The distinction matters because Gemini needs access to messages to provide these features, while Google says that access is limited to specific tasks and the data is not retained afterwards.
Google’s stated protections also cover Workspace apps including Chat, Calendar, Docs and Drive. A caveat applies when users link Workspace content apps to Google Search services: Google says summaries, excerpts and inferences from relevant content may then be used to improve services and train generative AI models, though it says Search does not train directly on Gmail inboxes. Users can disable Gmail’s Smart features in Settings; the article says the setting applies across the account.
In short
- Gemini accesses emails to perform requested tasks.
- Google says it does not train foundational models on personal emails.
- Linking Workspace apps to Search can allow derived content to be used for training.
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The case for
Gemini’s access to email can make routine tasks easier, such as summarising messages and drafting replies, while Google says it does not train its foundational models on personal emails and does not retain the data after those tasks. These assurances may make the feature a reasonable convenience for users who value assistance and accept limited, task-specific access.
The case against
Email can contain sensitive personal and professional information, so users may reasonably prefer not to give an AI system access even for useful features. Google’s caveat about linked Workspace content being used to improve services or train models may also make the boundaries harder to assess, strengthening the case for disabling Smart features unless the benefits are worth that access.
Explained simply
Gemini is Google’s AI assistant, designed to help with tasks such as summarising information and drafting text. Gmail is Google’s email service, while Google Workspace is a group of work and communication apps that includes Gmail, Calendar, Docs, Drive and Chat.
To perform tasks in these apps, Gemini may need to access their content. Google says it does not use personal emails to train its foundational AI models, and says access for specific tasks is limited and the data is not retained afterwards.
Google also offers Smart features settings that control how some AI-related features work across an account. Linking Workspace content with Google Search services can involve different data use: Google says relevant summaries, excerpts and inferences may be used to improve services and train generative AI models, though Search does not train directly on Gmail inboxes.