Google: Gmail-linked AI Search can now shape your ads

What changed

For years Google's privacy policy said it doesn't show personalized ads based on content from Drive, Gmail or Google Photos. The October 16 version adds an exception: unless you choose to make data from these services available to other Google services that support personalized ads (Google). Android Authority spotted the change on October 23, followed by The Verge (The Verge).

In practice this concerns Personal Intelligence. If you connect Gmail or Photos to Search and AI Mode, answers become more personal using what Google draws from your email and photos. That same information can now feed into ad selection. On October 16 Google also confirmed it has started testing ads in AI Mode for these users (Search Engine Land).

What Google promises

• It is opt-in, and apps can be disconnected at any time.
• Ads are not based directly on your inbox or photo library, but on summaries, excerpts and inferences drawn from them.
• Advertisers get no access to Gmail or Photos, nor to your name or email address.
• No targeting based on sensitive categories such as religion, sexual orientation or health.

What about Europe?

According to Google's help pages, connecting apps to Search is not available in the EU, the EEA, the UK or Switzerland. The European language versions of the policy already include the exception, though, so the legal wording is in place if the feature arrives later. Google hasn't said why it leaves out the EU, but stricter consent rules under the DMA and GDPR are a likely factor.

What it means

Google is not alone: OpenAI also personalizes ChatGPT ads based on past conversations, with consent. The more personal context an AI assistant gathers, the more valuable it becomes as an ad signal. If you connect work or sensitive email to an assistant, check which services can access it and where personalized recommendations can be turned off.