If you've opted in to Google's "Personal Intelligence" feature in the hopes of receiving more tailored AI responses from Gemini, there's a good chance that more of your data than you realize is being used for targeted advertising. In a recent privacy policy update, Google quietly added an exception to how it handles information from Drive, Gmail, and Photos to personalize the ads you see—but there's a way to opt out.
Google may use content from Google apps to influence targeted ads
As Android Authority reports, Google typically doesn't personalize ads based on content from Drive, Gmail, or Google Photos by default. However, the policy now makes these data available for that purpose if you've connected these apps to other Google services—like Personal Intelligence—that do support personalized ads. Personal Intelligence is the opt-in Gemini feature launched earlier this year that links with other Google apps to give you more tailored, contextual responses in Gemini and Google Search's AI Mode.
While this level of personalization can be useful, the privacy policy loophole means that content you don't explicitly share in search or AI interactions could still be used to inform which ads you're served. Google's privacy policy still states that it does not share personally identifiable information with advertisers, and the company has also said that it doesn't scan your inbox, photos, and files and that ads will not be based "directly on your Gmail inbox or Photos library." It's not clear how the company will handle the mismatch, but if you're at all concerned, you can choose to disconnect those apps from Personal Intelligence.
You can disconnect Google apps from Personal Intelligence
Personal Intelligence is opt-in by default, but as Ars Technica points out, users are presented with opportunities to enable this feature and connect apps to it without realizing it or understanding the potential consequences of doing so.
You can check whether any of your Google content apps are connected to Personal Intelligence and disable them if you'd prefer. In your Google Account, tap Data & Privacy. Under Personalization & activity, select Personalization settings, then click Manage Personalized Recommendations in Search Services. Select Connected Content Apps under Additional Personal Intelligence and disconnect any apps you don't want granted access.