Google Gemini Introduces Personal Intelligence for Tailored AI Assistance
Google has launched a new feature called Personal Intelligence for its Gemini AI chatbot. This upgrade allows Gemini to securely connect with your personal Google services like Gmail, Drive, and Photos. The goal is to deliver more customized and helpful responses without requiring constant manual input from users.
How Personal Intelligence Works
The feature taps into information from your connected apps to answer specific questions. For instance, you could ask Gemini for the license plate number of a car you recently traveled in. You might search for a hotel you stayed at years ago. The AI can even sift through your Gmail history to find relevant details.
Google emphasizes that Personal Intelligence is turned off by default. Users must actively enable it. Once activated, Gemini can access your data to fulfill requests and perform tasks on your behalf. The company assures that your sensitive information remains within Google's ecosystem and is not shared with third-party services.
Key Features and User Control
Josh Woodward, Vice President of Google Labs, Gemini & AI Studio, explains the core strengths of Personal Intelligence. "It reasons across complex sources and retrieves specific details from emails or photos to answer your questions," he says. The system often combines text, photos, and video to provide uniquely tailored answers.
Users have full control over which apps to link. While Gemini can connect to Gmail, Photos, YouTube, and Search with a single tap, you can choose exactly which services to integrate. The AI also attempts to show references or explain where it obtained the information. If it doesn't, you can simply ask for clarification.
Current Availability and Future Plans
Personal Intelligence is currently in beta. It is rolling out to a limited number of Google AI Pro and AI Ultra subscribers in the United States. Google has tested the beta version to minimize errors, but acknowledges that mistakes can still occur.
The company plans to expand the functionality to more countries and to the free tier in the future. It will also integrate Personal Intelligence into AI Mode in Search. To enable the feature, open Gemini, go to Settings, click on Personal Intelligence, and select Connected Apps.
This development addresses a common issue with AI chatbots like ChatGPT and Gemini. While they can remember user-shared information, it often requires manual instruction. Personal Intelligence aims to automate this process, making AI assistants more intuitive and personally relevant.
