Google Search is the main gateway to the internet for many people, but the experience has changed significantly in the past few years after the introduction of AI features like AI Overviews and AI Mode. The next step in this AI-focused overhaul of Google Search might be the most important. Google Search is about to get more personal than before, which should make online search an even more productive experience. You’ll no longer have to tweak searches and provide additional context if you allow AI Mode to access personal data in Google apps like Gmail and Google Photos. Gemini will know how to connect the dots and offer personalized search results.
Announced on Thursday, Personal Intelligence in AI Mode may sound like a dream come true for some Google Search users. Instead of combing through generic answers, whether you use AI or not, you’ll see results that are relevant to your life, as they’ll match plans and interests. At the same time, giving Gemini that sort of access in Google Search may sound scary. After all, Google already collects data about your interests from your browsing habits to serve personalized ads. Giving the AI access to personal data in apps like Gmail may sound counterintuitive if you’re looking to protect your privacy. However, Google explained in a blog post that Personal Intelligence is optional, and the personal data in apps you’d connect to AI Mode will not be used to train future Gemini models.
Also, Google will not roll out Personal Intelligence to all Google Search users who use AI Mode. The feature will be available initially to Google AI Pro and AI Ultra subscribers in the U.S. The feature will be available only in English initially as a Google Labs experiment.
What Personal Intelligence can do in Google Search
Google offered a few examples of Personal Intelligence search results in AI Mode. A prompt that said “recommend some activities and places to eat for our family getaway” received the following response: “For your family getaway to Philadelphia in March, some top activities and restaurants include places with engaging activities for your kids, Rafi and Joey, historical stops for your husband Shane, and kid-friendly restaurants that also offer modern dishes and notably good desserts for you, including many that are close to your hotel.”
AI Mode also listed attractions near the user’s hotel and a museum the kids would like. Gemini may have extracted information about the user’s interests from Gmail and Google Photos. Travel information, like a hotel booking confirmation email, may have been used to pinpoint the location of that “getaway.” Images in Google Photos may have informed the AI about the family members, including the kids and husband.
In a similar example, a user asked AI Mode about “good long-lasting coat options” for an upcoming trip. They mentioned what they planned to pack, without telling Google the destination. Gemini found travel information in Gmail for a March trip to Chicago and recommended appropriate attire, a coat that’s windproof and waterproof. Looking at Google Photos, Gemini recommended styles and colors for the jacket.
AI Mode can also handle more whimsical searches, like, “if my life were a movie, what title and genre would it be,” and provide Personal Intelligence. Gemini will look at the user’s interests and generate responses. In this example, the AI suggested a “May the Forest Be With You” movie title to the user, an adventure/travel documentary with comedy elements based on what the user loves the most, adventure.
The privacy protections
Google said in the blog post that it designed Personal Intelligence with “transparency, choice, and control at its core.” Users can enable personalization at any time, once they have access to the feature, by turning on the Gmail and Google Photos connections. They can also disconnect the apps in the future. Google also says that AI Mode uses Gemini 3, its most intelligent model. However, Google doesn’t train the AI directly on the information in your Gmail account or your entire Google Photos library. Instead, training is limited to the data in the prompts used in AI Mode and the AI’s responses. This implies that some personal information may be used in training, as long as Gemini uses it when it formulates its responses. And the examples above show how the AI will include personal information in Google Search results.
Google’s blog does not mention two key privacy details that may be important to users. Google doesn’t say whether turning off Gemini training would impact Personal Intelligence in AI Mode in any way. The best experience would be using Personal Intelligence in Google Search without allowing Google to train the AI on that data. Also, Google doesn’t say how the Personal Intelligence responses in AI Mode will affect the ads experience on Google Search.
Google also said that Personal Intelligence may make mistakes, like connecting unrelated topics and not understanding the context. Then again, Personal Intelligence is still in its early days. That’s why the feature is available via Google Labs for now. In addition to Google Search, Personal Intelligence is also available in the Gemini app to select users.
