Google’s Updated Privacy Policy Allows Gmail Data to Influence Ads Through AI Features

Image: Ars Technica · Source

Google’s revised privacy policy permits Gmail and Photos data, shared via Personal Intelligence, to inform ad personalization within AI-powered services, marking a shift from prior limitations.

Google’s recent update to its privacy policy marks a notable shift in how user data from traditionally protected apps like Gmail and Google Photos may influence advertising. Historically, Google assured users that data from these apps would not be used for ad personalization. However, changes introduced on October 16, 2026, dismantle that clear boundary, allowing such data to contribute to ad targeting in certain contexts.

The key change involves a feature called Personal Intelligence, launched earlier in 2026. This opt-in service enables users to connect data across multiple Google apps, sharing it with Google’s AI tools like the Gemini app and AI Mode search. While Gemini itself does not currently display advertisements, users may encounter sponsored content when interacting with AI search features. Under the new privacy wording, data shared through Personal Intelligence can be factored into the ads shown, effectively linking Gmail and Photos content to ad personalization indirectly.

Google emphasizes that ads will not be directly based on the contents of a user’s Gmail inbox or Photos library. Instead, ads remain relevant to the user’s queries, the response context, and general interests. Sensitive information, Google insists, will not be used to tailor ads. Despite these assurances, this approach means that once users enable Personal Intelligence, their personal data may influence the AI-generated responses and the ads they see during AI interactions.

A Google spokesperson clarified that the updated policy does not represent granting advertising partners access to inbox data or scanning users’ entire emails for profiling. The company maintains that Personal Intelligence connections are wholly optional, and users must explicitly consent to share their data across services.

Nevertheless, the policy revision underlines a broader challenge of integrated data use within Google’s ecosystem. Google seeks to enhance its AI capabilities by leveraging extensive user data across services, but increased data sharing raises privacy concerns. Users are advised to carefully consider their settings; to prevent ads from being informed by personal data, one can disable Personal Intelligence through the Gemini app settings or deeper within Google Account personalization options.

In sum, Google’s privacy update reflects a strategic move to utilize cross-app data for AI-enhanced advertising, contingent on user opt-in, signaling an evolution in the company’s data use practices that users should actively manage to maintain their privacy preferences.