In summary:
- Google is integrating its AI assistant Gemini with all personal Google services, allowing the AI to access user data across accounts for enhanced search results.
- PCWorld reports this opt-in feature enables Gemini to answer complex queries by collating personal information, though it’s unavailable for business accounts.
- While offering improved functionality in Google AI Search and Chrome, this integration raises significant privacy concerns about Google’s expanded data access.
Google is now offering you the ability to link all of your Google services to the company’s AI services for better results, looping in Google Intelligence, Gemini, with Gmail and your other data.
It’s a classic tactic used from Microsoft to Google and others: Connect your sources of data, and the service will become more adept at predicting what you want. Google’s new capability is being offered to every Google user with a personal Google account, but it’s not automatic. You’ll need to opt in.
This shouldn’t come as a surprise. In January, Google began providing its Intelligence service to Google AI Pro and Ultra subscribers. Now, you don’t need to pay Google for the privilege. Instead, you’ll be able to take advantage of the service if you have a Google account. Intelligence will come to Google’s AI Search, the Gemini app, and Gemini within Chrome.
Why would you want to do this? The idea is that by connecting all of your services, vague queries like, “Hey, what was that thing that I bought with Jenny? You know, that I took to the party?” would be answerable by Google collating shipping notifications, items on your calendar, and so on. All of that vague information could be rooted out. Unfortunately, that would mean that Google would have an even more comprehensive view of your life than it normally does, and would be able to provide ever more sophisticated profiles to advertisers — or simply itself.
Google won’t make this same kind of access available to business accounts. And Google says that you’ll be able to turn off access to specific apps whenever you’d like. Let’s hope that Google lets this remain optional and opt-in, and won’t quietly change its behavior over time.
Author: Mark Hachman, Senior Editor, PCWorld
Mark has written for PCWorld for the last decade, with 30 years of experience covering technology. He has authored over 3,500 articles for PCWorld alone, covering PC microprocessors, peripherals, and Microsoft Windows, among other topics. Mark has written for publications including PC Magazine, Byte, eWEEK, Popular Science and Electronic Buyers' News, where he shared a Jesse H. Neal Award for breaking news. He recently handed over a collection of several dozen Thunderbolt docks and USB-C hubs because his office simply has no more room.