Gmail users have been automatically opted into a setting that may allow Google to access their emails and attachments for training AI models, cybersecurity experts warn. If you wish to prevent this data sharing, you need to manually adjust your settings in two places.
Automatic Opt-In Raises Privacy Concerns
Engineer Dave Jones recently highlighted on X that Gmail users are automatically opted into allowing Google to use their private messages and attachments to train AI models. Users must manually turn off Smart Features in two locations within the settings menu. Despite the automatic opt-in, users are not required to consent to data sharing.
As companies seek returns on AI investments, language models are running out of new human-generated data. Tools like AI meeting note assistants are seen as opportunities to passively gather user data, even from mundane corporate meetings.
Google's privacy policy states: "Google uses information to improve our services and to develop new products, features and technologies that benefit our users and the public. For example, we use publicly available information to help train Google's AI models and build products and features like Google Translate, Gemini Apps, and Cloud AI capabilities."
Proposed Class-Action Lawsuit
According to Bloomberg, a proposed class-action lawsuit alleges that Google secretly activated Gemini to access and exploit users' private communications, including every email and attachment in Gmail accounts. Google has not yet responded to questions about the opt-in process or the lawsuit, but a spokesperson stated that reports are "misleading," noting that Gmail Smart Features have existed for years and that Google does not use Gmail content to train its Gemini AI model. They added that Google is transparent about changes to terms of service and policies.
How to Opt Out of AI Training
To regain control over how AI uses your data, follow these steps to opt out. On a desktop, go to Settings (the cog icon in the top right corner), then the General tab. Uncheck the box for "Smart features" to perform the first opt-out. Next, click "Manage Workplace smart feature settings" to access a secondary pop-up where you can toggle off features in Google Workspace and other Google products. Opting out of the former disables the "Ask Gemini" feature, personalized search, and automatic addition of events to your calendar. The latter turns off features like restaurant reservations in Maps, suggested tickets in Wallet, and suggestions from Google Assistant and Gemini.
On mobile, navigate to Settings (at the bottom of the inbox menu), select "Data privacy," toggle off "Smart features," and then access "Google Workspace smart features" to turn off related features.
Trade-Offs of Opting Out
Opting out disables useful features like smart compose, automatic email filtering into promotional and social inboxes, and spell-check, grammar check, and autocorrect. Users must weigh privacy against convenience. For many, protecting privacy is worth the trade-off.
