Google has announced a new beta feature called Personal Intelligence, now available to select users. This tool connects Google’s AI system, Gemini, to your personal data across Gmail, Google Photos, YouTube, and Google Search. Users can choose which services to share data with, allowing for a more tailored AI experience. The rollout will happen gradually over the next few weeks and is currently limited to English-speaking users on specific Google AI plans in the U.S.

How Personal Intelligence Works

Once enabled, Personal Intelligence allows Gemini to access your data, but only if you grant permission for each service individually. For example, you can allow access to your YouTube history but deny Gmail access. The AI then uses this information to provide more relevant and personalized assistance. If you ask for help planning a trip, Gemini knows your flight details, airline status, and seating preferences. Similarly, for car repairs, it can access your vehicle’s make, model, location, and repair history.

This feature also enhances Google Photos searches. You can ask Gemini to find pictures containing specific objects or even locate documents with particular numbers or amounts. Google emphasizes that Personal Intelligence does not use your data to train its models. Instead, your data remains stored in its original encrypted state, and only the necessary information is temporarily accessed to answer your queries. The data transfer is secured with advanced encryption protocols to protect user privacy.

Google’s Data Domination and Privacy Stance

Most people with a Google account have stored vast amounts of personal information. Google’s data collection is extensive, including every word and number in emails, contacts, location history, photos, documents, and search activity. This means Google essentially “knows” a lot about a person’s life, often more than other companies do. While users might hesitate to give third-party apps full access to this data, Google already has it, and many are accustomed to this level of access.

Compared to other tech giants, Google’s access to personal data is unmatched. This gives Google a significant advantage in developing highly personalized AI features. The company claims that Personal Intelligence will respect user privacy by not copying or using data for model training. Instead, data stays encrypted, and only the necessary information is temporarily accessed to generate responses. This approach aims to balance personalization and privacy, although some users remain cautious about how their data is used.

In contrast, Amazon has been exploring new ways to gather personal data outside the home. They recently acquired a startup called Bee, which makes a wearable bracelet that listens to your environment and provides insights, reminders, and to-do lists for $50. Amazon sees this as a way to harvest data beyond traditional voice assistants like Alexa, extending into everyday life. However, trust levels with Amazon remain lower compared to companies like Apple, which are known for strong privacy protections. Some users have shared concerns about how much data Amazon is collecting and how it might be used in the future.

Inspired by

• https://www.computerworld.com/article/4117545/google-flexes-another-ai-advantage.html

Sources

• blog.google
• bee.computer
• memories.ai