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2h ago

Google Rejects Claims Gmail Trains Gemini as Users Probe Smart Features

Users are being urged to check two separate Smart Features toggles, with defaults varying outside the EEA, UK, Switzerland and Japan.

London, UK - July 31, 2018: The buttons of the app Gmail, surrounded by Google, Google Photos, Google Drive and other apps on the screen of an iPhone.
FILE PHOTO: The Google logo is seen on the Google house at CES 2024, an annual consumer electronics trade show, in Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. January 10, 2024. REUTERS/Steve Marcus/File Photo
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Overview

  • Google said reports were misleading, asserting it has not changed anyone’s settings and does not use Gmail content to train its Gemini AI model.
  • Viral posts and tutorials spread after some users and reporters found Smart Features enabled by default or re-enabled, prompting account checks.
  • Fully opting out requires turning off Smart Features in Gmail, Chat and Meet and separately disabling Smart Features in Google Workspace and in other Google products, which also removes conveniences like spell check and Smart Compose.
  • Google and reporters note stricter regions such as the EEA, UK, Switzerland and Japan have these features off by default, whereas many other regions see them on by default.
  • Legal scrutiny is growing, including a proposed class-action filed on Nov. 11 in San Jose alleging unauthorized access to private communications in Gmail, Chat and Meet.