Google has pushed back on social media posts suggesting that using Gmail's "smart features" would allow your emails to be used for AI training. According to Google, this is simply not the case.
The reports claiming that users needed to disable these smart features in order to protect their emails from being used by AI models are "misleading", according to a spokesperson for the company. The claim has been circulating on social media platforms such as Twitter and Reddit, with some users suggesting that they had opted out of the feature in Gmail but were still using it elsewhere.
However, Google says this is not true. "We have not changed anyone's settings," says Jenny Thomson, the company's spokesperson. "Gmail Smart Features have existed for many years and we do not use your Gmail content for training our Gemini AI model."
Google introduced new smart features in January that allow users to turn off some of these features independently of each other. These features include spell checking, tracking orders, and easily adding flights from Gmail to one's calendar.
While it is true that enabling certain features allows Google Workspace to use a user's content and activity for personalization purposes, this does not mean that the company is using emails for AI training.
In fact, when The Verge contacted a Google staffer who had previously opted out of some smart features in Gmail but was still being tracked by them, they found that their settings had been automatically re-enabled. This has led one user to suggest that opting out may not be as effective as they thought.
Overall, it appears that these social media posts were simply misinformation and that Google's AI models are not using user emails for training purposes.
The reports claiming that users needed to disable these smart features in order to protect their emails from being used by AI models are "misleading", according to a spokesperson for the company. The claim has been circulating on social media platforms such as Twitter and Reddit, with some users suggesting that they had opted out of the feature in Gmail but were still using it elsewhere.
However, Google says this is not true. "We have not changed anyone's settings," says Jenny Thomson, the company's spokesperson. "Gmail Smart Features have existed for many years and we do not use your Gmail content for training our Gemini AI model."
Google introduced new smart features in January that allow users to turn off some of these features independently of each other. These features include spell checking, tracking orders, and easily adding flights from Gmail to one's calendar.
While it is true that enabling certain features allows Google Workspace to use a user's content and activity for personalization purposes, this does not mean that the company is using emails for AI training.
In fact, when The Verge contacted a Google staffer who had previously opted out of some smart features in Gmail but was still being tracked by them, they found that their settings had been automatically re-enabled. This has led one user to suggest that opting out may not be as effective as they thought.
Overall, it appears that these social media posts were simply misinformation and that Google's AI models are not using user emails for training purposes.
! So Google just cleared up the whole misinfo about their smart features, which I'm glad they did 
. It's easy to get caught up in the drama on social media, but it looks like people were spreading false info about Gmail's "smart features" being used for AI training 
. Good job Google for setting the record straight! 
. Like, people were sharing their own experiences of 'opting out' but still being tracked? That doesn't add up... Maybe its time to fact-check before we jump to conclusions about big corps like Google? 
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Social media posts were just a big ol' mess 
, those smart features have been around for ages and we don't use ppl's emails for ai training 
. i mean i know it sounds scary but im so relieved they set the record straight 
. and yeah that whole thing with someone who thought opting out would work but their settings got re-enabled is wild 
, just go to your account settings and turn those features off if you're worried 
. anyway back to google being awesome, love them so much 
Anyway, glad Google is clarifying this and letting us all know what's really going on... now I can stop worrying about my emails being used for robot purposes 
. I mean, if you're concerned about your emails being tracked, there are always other ways to do it (e.g., using a VPN) 
... so maybe just chill out and check the actual settings for yourself before jumping on social media with all the drama 
its just misinfo circulating on the internet. google said so themselves, we dont use your emails 4 that purpose, period. 
. I'm not buying into the whole "opting out means you're still being tracked" narrative... Google's been saying they don't use our emails for AI training, so let's just trust them on this one 
. Can we move on from this now? There are more important issues to tackle than this misinformation 
. I mean, come on, it's not like they're secretly using our emails for nefarious purposes or anything 
. The fact that some people think opting out of smart features actually works is just laughable 
. And now Google's got to clarify this all and waste everyone's time 
. Can't we just chill out and wait for the facts to come out instead of jumping to conclusions? 