Key takeaways
- Google's privacy policy, updated October 16, 2026, adds an exception to its 2021 promise not to personalize ads from Gmail, Drive or Photos content.
- The change only applies to adults with personal accounts who connected apps to Personal Intelligence and use AI Mode or Gemini.
- Users can disconnect Workspace and Photos under Connected Content apps, but data already in Search Services History may remain.
In this story 4 sections
If you have connected Gmail or Google Photos to Gemini or Google Search, Google now says some of what it learns from them can help decide which ads you see. That is the practical effect of a privacy policy change tied to Google Personal Intelligence, the opt in feature that lets Google's AI read your connected apps to give more tailored answers.
Android Authority first spotted the change on October 23. According to an archive of Google's policy history compiled by PPC Land, the new wording took effect on October 16, 2026, just fifteen days after the previous revision.
The sentence Google added to its privacy policy
Since July 1, 2021, Google's privacy policy has promised that it does not show personalized ads based on your content in Drive, Gmail or Google Photos. That promise is still there. What changed is the exception now attached to it.
The policy now says users can let services like Search or Gemini Apps access data from other Google services, and that "Search may process some of the data that you allow Search to access to personalize content, including ads," as quoted by The Hacker News. The old pledge now carries a carve out for people who choose to connect that data to services that offer personalized advertising.
According to PPC Land, Google's help page adds a nuance: ads will not be based directly on your emails or photos, but summaries and inferences drawn from them may inform ads. Advertisers do not get access to your inbox or your pictures, and Google says it does not hand advertisers personal details like your name or email address without permission.
Who is affected by the Google Personal Intelligence change
This does not touch every Gmail user. It applies only if all of these are true:
- You turned on Personal Intelligence and connected apps such as Gmail, Google Photos or Workspace.
- You use the AI features that draw on that data, mainly AI Mode in Search and Gemini.
- You are on a personal Google Account and are 18 or older, since PPC Land reports connected apps are limited to adults with personal accounts.
Personal Intelligence launched in beta in the US on January 14, 2026, for AI Pro and AI Ultra subscribers, and Google said at I/O in May that it was expanding to nearly 200 countries. The Hacker News reports it is not offered in the European Economic Area, Switzerland, the UK or Nigeria.
Timing matters here too. Google confirmed around October 16 that it is testing ads in AI Mode for Personal Intelligence users, according to PPC Land. Earlier in the year, Google had said AI Mode with Personal Intelligence carried no ads. If you use Google with a work or school account, this change is not aimed at you.
How to stop your Gmail and Photos from shaping ads
If you would rather keep your inbox and photo library out of the ad equation, Android Authority lists the steps:
- Open your Google Account and go to Data & privacy.
- Under Personalization & activity, choose Personalization settings.
- Select Manage Personalized Recommendations in Search Services.
- Under Additional Personal Intelligence, find Connected Content apps.
- Disconnect Google Workspace and Google Photos.
There is a broader switch as well. You can turn off Personalized Recommendations on the Search Services Personalization page, which stops this kind of tailoring altogether.
One catch: disconnecting an app does not necessarily wipe what Google already saved. Android Authority notes that data in your Search Services History can stay even after you disconnect an app or delete the original email or photo. If that bothers you, review and delete that history while you are in the settings.
This is a good moment for a wider sweep. Our social media privacy checkup walks through similar settings on other platforms, and if you want to see exactly what Google holds on you, our guide to downloading your data from big tech shows how to request a copy.
Why ads in AI answers keep spreading
Google is not alone in bringing ads into AI products. The Hacker News points out that OpenAI began showing ads to logged in adult US users on ChatGPT's free and Go tiers in January, and has since expanded them to 89 countries.
What sets this change apart is the source of the signal. Ads in a chatbot usually lean on what you type into it. With Personal Intelligence, the AI may also be drawing on your travel confirmations, receipts and photo library, and Google has now written into its policy that the results can feed advertising.
Meta has faced lawsuits over how ads are targeted and policed, including Rhode Island's recent case over scam ads on Facebook and Instagram, and data from AI assistants has leaked before, as with Meta's exposed Muse shared chats. Opt in features tend to stay off the radar until a policy line like this one surfaces.
If you never turned on Personal Intelligence, nothing changes for you today. If you did, check that Connected Content apps list this week, and keep an eye on our tech news page as Google rolls out ads in AI Mode more widely.
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