Gemini allows connection with Google apps for personalization

Google has introduced Personal Intelligence in its Gemini application, a feature that connects the artificial intelligence assistant with user applications to provide more contextualized responses. The feature is in beta phase and is initially available for Google AI Pro and AI Ultra subscribers in the United States.

Personal Intelligence allows Gemini to access information stored in Gmail, Google Photos, YouTube, and search history. This integration enables the assistant to answer specific questions by consulting personal data, such as locating a license plate number in a photograph or searching for trip details in email.

Josh Woodward, Vice President of Google Labs, shared an example: when needing information about his vehicle's tires, Gemini provided technical specifications and suggested options based on family trips detected in Google Photos. The system also extracted the license plate number from an image and obtained vehicle data from Gmail.

Activation is disabled by default and users must explicitly choose to connect their applications. Google indicates that personal information is not used to directly train the models, but only to generate specific responses. The system processes prompts by applying filters to remove personally identifiable data before training.

Gemini attempts to reference the information sources used and users can request clarifications or correct interpretations. There is also the option to regenerate responses without personalization or use temporary chats.

Google acknowledges that the system can make mistakes, such as establishing connections between unrelated topics, and asks users to report these failures. Expansion is planned for more countries and free version users.

Key points

• Google introduces Personal Intelligence in Gemini to connect the assistant with applications like Gmail, Photos, and YouTube.
• The feature is in beta and available only for AI Pro and AI Ultra subscribers in the United States.
• Users must manually activate the connection and can choose which applications to link.
• Gemini can query personal data to answer specific questions, such as searching information in emails or photos.
• Personal information is not used directly to train AI models.
• The system shows information sources and allows correcting errors or regenerating responses.
• Google plans to expand the feature to more countries and free version users.