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   Google says your Gmails arent being used train its Gemini AI and   
   explains what Smart Features do instead   
      
   Date:   
   Mon, 24 Nov 2025 13:08:23 +0000   
      
   Description:   
   Despite a recent report, Google says your emails arent being used to train    
   its Gemini AI model here's what's happening instead.   
      
   FULL STORY   
      
   Privacy and artificial intelligence are both a big deal right now, so it   
   wasn't a surprise to see recent claims that Google is using your Gmail to   
   train its Gemini AI model go viral. Fortunately, those claims were incorrect,   
   as Google has now dismissed them as "misleading" and explained what's really   
   happening.    
      
   According to the original (and now corrected) article from security firm   
   Malwarebytes , you could keep your data out of Geminis hands by disabling   
   Gmails Smart Features. However, Google has now pushed back, stating that it   
   doesn't use Gmail content to train Gemini.    
      
   Googles response came as part of a statement given to The Verge , where   
   company spokesperson Jenny Thomson said: These reports are misleading  we    
   have not changed anyones settings, Gmail Smart Features have existed for many   
   years, and we do not use your Gmail content for training our Gemini AI model.    
      
   Shortly after this statement was made, Malwarebytes corrected its original   
   article. The updated piece noted that while the Gmail settings in question   
   werent actually new, the way Google recently rewrote and surfaced them led a   
   lot of people (including us) to believe Gmail content might be used to train   
   Googles AI models, and that users were being opted in automatically.   
      
   So what are Smart Features?   
      
   The official explanation of Google's Smart Features in Gmail, Chat and Meet    
   is that they "use your content and activity in these products to personalize   
   your experience in those apps".    
      
   What does that mean? Some specific examples include automatic email    
   filtering, smart compose (those text suggestions you get in email) and    
   summary cards above emails (which give you a quick synopsis of order    
   tracking, events and more). All potentially useful then, but not the same   
   thing as training Google Gemini.    
      
   You can check to see if Smart Features are turned on in Gmail by going to   
   Settings > General and scrolling down to 'Smart features'. Here you'll see a   
   check box for turning the setting on or off. Google says this should be    
   turned off by default, though some users have anecdotally claimed otherwise.    
      
   We've checked with Google to confirm that Smart Features are still opt-in for   
   both Workspace and standard Gmail, and will update this article if we hear   
   back.   
      
   Where did the confusion come from?   
      
   Malwarebytes clarified that after examining Googles documentation more   
   closely, it doesnt appear that Google is using your email content to train    
   its AI. While Google scans your emails to enable its Smart Features  which   
   include spam filters, email categorization, writing suggestions and more  it   
   does not do this to help train Gemini.    
      
   So, where did the confusion stem from? Malwarebytes claimed that Googles   
   updated language around smart features is vague, and the term smart often   
   implies AI  especially at a time when Gemini is being integrated into other   
   parts of Googles products . When the new wording started appearing for some   
   users without much explanation, many assumed it signaled a broader shift", it   
   said.    
      
   As well as that, this whole furore has happened around the same time as a   
   proposed class-action lawsuit in California, which alleges that Google gave   
   Gemini AI access to Gmail, Chat, and Meet without proper user consent,   
   according to Malwarebytes.    
      
   If you were worried that Google was taking your private emails and feeding   
   them into an oblique AI algorithm, that doesnt appear to be the case. That   
   said, Google hasn't always had the best reputation for user privacy, with   
   numerous controversies erupting in the last few years. If you want a truly   
   private email experience, there are plenty of good alternatives .    
      
   ======================================================================   
   Link to news story:   
   https://www.techradar.com/ai-platforms-assistants/gemini/panic-over-google-say   
   s-your-gmails-arent-being-used-train-its-gemini-ai-and-explains-what-smart-fea   
   tures-do-instead   
      
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