Millions of Gmail users have received an ‘important’ notification urging caution regarding the use of AI technology to scan emails. The alert, shared by American TV personality and entrepreneur Lori Greiner on Instagram, advises users to be vigilant.
The concern arises from Google’s new AI smart features, which can analyze emails for smart searches, contextual replies, and email summaries. While Google claims it does not read messages for personal gain, Greiner expressed apprehension about the practice.
Greiner emphasized the significance of the warning, stating that AI scans all types of emails, including financial documents, tax information, and personal conversations, without users’ awareness. To address this issue, users can easily disable this setting.
To deactivate AI in Gmail, users can follow these steps:
– Go to Settings and select “see all settings.”
– Scroll down to find “Smart features.”
– Turn off smart features in Gmail, Chat, and Meet to prevent Google from scanning messages.
– Additionally, manage Workspace Smart Features by unchecking boxes for Workspace and other products to limit data usage for AI.
Google assures users that personal data remains private and secure, with AI models like Gemini only accessing emails for specific tasks like summarizing information. Users concerned about AI can choose to disable smart features in Gmail.
It is important to note that Google’s practices are transparent, and users have control over their data privacy settings.