Post by : Badri Ariffin

Social media is aflame with assertions that Google is clandestinely harvesting Gmail emails to enhance its AI models. Speculation claims everything from attachments to drafts is feeding data to Google’s Gemini AI, leading users to frantically adjust their inbox privacy settings.

Such concern appears to stem from confusion surrounding Gmail’s longstanding “smart features.” These functionalities, designed to improve user experience, facilitate tasks such as text auto-completion, email summarization, and calendar integration of flight details. A recent update permitted users to manage these features individually across Google platforms; however, a technical error caused some settings to revert, re-enabling options that individuals had previously disabled. This misstep has been erroneously interpreted as part of a covert data-collection initiative.

Gmail's smart features are aimed at customizing interactions within the application. Although they assess user activity to enhance usability — proposing replies or condensing lengthy emails — the information gathered is not utilized to train the Gemini AI model. In essence, your emails optimize Gmail’s functionality for you, not for AI models.

On another front, Google is spotlighting Gemini 3, its latest AI framework. This advanced system boasts the ability to comprehend intricate text, images, videos, and even handwritten content using reasoning akin to human thought. It's being highlighted as a solution for tasks like lecture summarization, digitizing recipes, and transforming lengthy videos into manageable walkthroughs, marking a significant stride in practical AI applications.

The blend of recent updates and excitement surrounding Gemini has understandably left users wary. While Gmail remains off-limits for AI training, this incident underscores the rapid spread of misinformation, particularly when intertwined with advanced technology.

#Global News #AI #Technology