Google's AI Mode Can Now Tap Photos And Gmail For Personalized Responses

Google’s AI Mode Can Now Tap Photos and Gmail for Personalized Responses

Last updated: 2026/01/23 at 5:18 AM

News Room Published 23 January 2026

Google is testing a new feature that lets AI Mode draw context from Gmail and Google Photos to provide answers tailored to a user’s preferences and interests.

The feature, called Personal Intelligence, debuted on the Gemini app last week. For AI Mode in Search, it is currently a Labs experiment limited to Google AI Pro and AI Ultra subscribers who opt in.

Personal Intelligence is designed to automatically understand your search intent based on upcoming plans and past history. If you are shopping for a coat, for example, it can scan your Photos to understand your style and check your flight ticket in Gmail to factor in your destination and arrival time before suggesting an appropriate item.

If you’re traveling with your family, the feature can check your Photos history to understand what everyone prefers and suggest an itinerary that caters to everyone’s interests. You can even use the feature to throw in some hypothetical questions, such as what a film about your life should be titled, or what your perfect day would look like.

Personal Intelligence in AI Mode is powered by Google’s latest Gemini 3 model. The company says it won’t directly use your emails or photos to train its AI models, but may use specific prompts and responses to improve the feature’s functionality over time.

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Additionally, it warns that though the feature worked well in internal tests, it may at times fail to understand context and make mistakes. You can always rate the response and provide feedback by tapping the thumbs down icon.

Eligible subscribers will be invited to try Personal Intelligence in AI Mode over the next few days. It is disabled by default. If you don’t see the invite, you can enable it by visiting Search > Profile > Search personalization > Connected Content Apps, then selecting Workspace and Google Photos.