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Gmail can read your emails and attachments to train its AI, unless you opt out

malwarebytes.com

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Re: Gmail can read your emails and attachments to train its AI, unless you opt out

#11

Post by rikafurude21 »

_jzlw wrote: post #6

They're claiming that these options allow Google to use your data to train its AI, but that's not what it says at all. Where are they getting that idea from?

"training on our data" has turned into a catchphrase like "taking our guns" or "banning our books" - dumb propaganda for anti-AI crowd to enrage people. Whether personalized AI-based experience is useful can be debated but everything has to be twisted into culture wars, thats just how media is nowadays

Re: Gmail can read your emails and attachments to train its AI, unless you opt out

#13

Post by neilv »

The article is useful overall, but the following line is such bad journalism that I want to call it out, since we can't afford to have people dumbed-down.

> The reason behind this is Google’s push to power new Gmail features with its Gemini AI, helping you write emails faster and manage your inbox more efficiently.

Re: Gmail can read your emails and attachments to train its AI, unless you opt out

#14

Post by johnnyanmac »

magixx wrote: post #9
teachrdan wrote: post #4

Link for the lazy: https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/#settings/general Find "Smart Features", uncheck, and press save, which will reload Gmail. Then find "Google Workspace smart features" and click the "Manage Workspace smart features settings" button and unselect everything.

They disable so many features when you remove "Smart features" i.e. Grammar, Spelling, Autocorrect, Smart Compose/Reply (those templated suggested replies), Nudges, Package tracking, Desktop notifications. Google really wants to punish you for doing that.

Turning off the inbox categories feature was particularly annoying. A feature they had for a good decade before deciding they weren't jsut happy with collecting my data.

Re: Gmail can read your emails and attachments to train its AI, unless you opt out

#15

Post by johnnyanmac »

falleng0d wrote: post #10

From the dialogues in the pictures it doesn’t sound like they are using anyones emails for training. The messaging indicates it’s more like using as context and/or generating embeddings for RAG. Unless there’s something else I’m not aware of. I know that Google does a lot of bad stuff but we don’t need to make up stuff they just aren’t doing This doomsday messaging an alarmism is only serves to degrade the whole caus…

>When smart features are on, your data may be used to improve these features. Across Google and Workspace, we’ve long shared robust privacy commitments that outline how we protect user data and prioritize privacy. Generative AI doesn’t change these commitments — it actually reaffirms their importance. Learn how Gemini in Gmail, Chat, Docs, Drive, Sheets, Slides, Meet & Vids protects your data.

When I click "Learn more" in toggling the smart features on/off

It may not do it now, but I really don't like the implications. Especially a tone of "it's not actually bad, it's good!"

Re: Gmail can read your emails and attachments to train its AI, unless you opt out

#17

Post by JayD0ubleu »

It's like with Gemini and Google smart devices. You need to opt-in for data training to use Gemini apps. This means you won't be able to access basic features like asking Gemini to turn off your smart light bulbs. Essentially, Google is preventing you from using any smart features unless you allow data training on your own. Even to access basic features like chat history, you need to enable Gemini activity. This essentially allows Google to train on all of your conversations. This is even for paid tiers

Re: Gmail can read your emails and attachments to train its AI, unless you opt out

#18

Post by loeg »

Ms-J wrote: post #5

Google will use your family's pictures and memories "to improve Google’s AI assistants, like Smart Compose or AI-generated replies." Someone will ask a Google AI service to generate an image some day and your daughter will be used. And that's one of the least worrying outcomes.

That's what training means, yeah, but it isn't clear Google is actually doing what the article claims it is.

Re: Gmail can read your emails and attachments to train its AI, unless you opt out

#19

Post by jeffbee »

teachrdan wrote: post #4

Link for the lazy: https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/#settings/general Find "Smart Features", uncheck, and press save, which will reload Gmail. Then find "Google Workspace smart features" and click the "Manage Workspace smart features settings" button and unselect everything.

What do you believe you have gained by throwing those switches?

Re: Gmail can read your emails and attachments to train its AI, unless you opt out

#20

Post by johnnyanmac »

jmclnx wrote: post #8

Oh Well, I left gmail years ago, now it is used for junk mail, good luck loading ads going to gmail into your AI :)

What did you move too? I was thinking of moving my personal email off of Gmail for a while. It's just 15+ years of accounts to untangle.

I long made a "spam/unimportant site verification " account, so that's set.

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