Google Brings Generative AI to Gmail, Raising New Privacy Questions
Google is rolling out AI-powered tools in Gmail to summarize emails, generate responses and surface to-do lists. But the convenience comes with new questions about data access and privacy.
Google is rolling out new AI-powered features designed to summarize emails, generate responses and organise tasks. These changes could reshape how people use email.
Google's AI Push Continues
About two years ago, Google practically force-fed artificial intelligence to the masses. It began showing AI-generated responses to people's questions at the top of search results. Now the company is taking a similar approach by adding AI into another ubiquitously used service, Google Mail.
Google this month began rolling out a suite of new tools relying on generative AI. This technology drives chatbots. It helps users manage their bloated inboxes and speeds up the process of writing email. Some of the features are free, while others require paying a subscription.
Gmail users can now look up emails by typing a question. For example, they might ask, "What's the name of the job recruiter I met last month?" Google is also testing a new type of inbox, set for release later this year. This inbox automatically pulls together a to-do list based on tasks discussed inside emails.
In addition, Google unveiled tools to streamline writing. These include an automatic proofreader and response generator.
A Potential Email Revolution
If the new AI technology becomes widely adopted by Gmail users, this could be the biggest change to email in decades. Email remains our most steadfast web service. It may transform the way people manually check their inboxes all day long. Instead, users might experience a more streamlined overview that they look at periodically.
All of this, of course, has implications for privacy. To make the new features work, Gemini needs access to a user's entire inbox. Gemini is Google's AI assistant. The company insists that while Gemini systems analyze our emails, there are protections in place. These protections ensure that its employees do not read them.
Testing the New Features
To understand what this means for us, I interviewed a Google executive overseeing Gmail. I also spoke with privacy experts. To assess whether the tools are worth the potential trade-off in privacy, I tested Google's AI-ified Gmail for the last week.
I found a few of these features very useful. The automatic to-do list generated from my inbox stood out. However, I didn't care for the tools that sped up writing. Ultimately, I'm on the fence about whether I will opt to share even more data with Google. This decision will come once the features are all fully released.
Gmail Enters the AI Era
Let's start with the most important new feature, AI Inbox. This will be broadly released in the coming months. Smaller updates are available today.
Managing an email inbox has become a tedious chore. When someone sends you an email, you can read and reply to it. You can delete it or ignore it. The option of ignoring an email takes the least effort. However, unread notes pile up over time and add to stress.
Google's new AI Inbox fundamentally changes the way people check email. It gives a high-level overview of what you need to know and do today. It bases this on recent emails by looking at conversations. It creates action items and summaries of topics.
The AI Inbox offered me respite from my chaotic inbox this week. I had recently exchanged emails with a local preschool. We discussed enrollment for my daughter. Around the same time, her pediatrician had sent an email. It asked me to fill out a questionnaire.
But throughout the day, my inbox became cluttered. Marketing messages from retailers and other unsolicited emails flooded in. When I clicked on the AI Inbox tab, Google's AI reminded me of my recent conversations. It presented a to-do list: Respond to the preschool about enrollment and fill out the questionnaire for the pediatrician. None of the other noise in my inbox was there.
Google is testing the AI Inbox with a small set of users. When the feature arrives publicly in the coming months, I think lots of people will find it useful. Busy parents and office workers might appreciate it most.
Free Tools
Google is now making free the following Gmail tools. These were previously available only to users who paid subscriptions to use its AI:
- Suggested replies with personalization. Gemini will now analyze a message. It generates a bespoke response based on your writing style in past emails.
- AI Overviews with email summaries. Similar to the AI Overviews featured on Google search, Gmail will show an automatic summary. This summary appears at the top of each email thread.
- A "Help Me Write" button. Users can click "Help Me Write" to compose an email. They type a prompt, such as "Draft a letter to my power company asking why my bill is so high."
As a professional writer, I mostly did not find these tools helpful. People who struggle with words might appreciate having them.
Paid Tools
Google has also released new tools. These will be available initially to people paying for a subscription to one of Google's AI plans. These plans start at $20 a month:
- AI Overviews for searching for emails. In the past, people could look for emails by typing keywords like "plumber" into a search bar. Now, users can type a question into the search bar. For example, they might ask, "What is the name of the plumber who fixed my toilet last year?" I liked this feature. It will come in handy especially for people with bloated inboxes. The old-school way of searching for the keyword "plumber" could load lots of irrelevant emails.
- A proofread tool. Google's AI can highlight an entire sentence that needs improvement. It suggests a full revision. For example, it could trim a rambling sentence down to a few concise words.
Does Gemini in My Inbox Mean Google Is Reading My Mails?
The integration of AI inside Gmail raises an important question. Does the technology open doors to human reviewers reading our emails? That's because in general, humans are involved in improving AI technology. For example, people occasionally need to manually review conversations with AI chatbots. This ensures that their responses are accurate and appropriate.
In the case of Google and Gmail, the answer is complicated. The company says that while its Gemini AI system can scan your emails to offer help, people do not look at your content. This includes the questions you ask Gemini to search for an email. In addition, the company said it will not be using Gmail data to train or improve Gemini.
"We know it takes a lot of trust for people to invite AI to connect these dots," said Blake Barnes. He is Google's vice president of product overseeing Gmail. "We can use AI to process and do these things like the AI Inbox in these isolated environments without humans in the loop at all."
Barnes offered this analogy. Each Gmail user is living inside his or her own private room. Inside that room, Gemini is presented a question along with a set of emails. These emails could have the answer to that question. All of this data processing happens within the private room. The data does not leave this room to train Gemini, he added.
However, just because a company says it won't look at your data doesn't mean it technically can't. A Google spokesperson said some user interactions with AI in Gmail could be accessed and shared with law enforcement. This would happen to comply with a legal search warrant. For example, questions posed to Gemini to search for emails might be included. She noted that Google pushed back on government requests for excessive information.
This is nothing new. Google and all tech companies have been required to comply with legal requests for relevant user data. This includes emails and text messages. These requests come in response to search warrants and subpoenas. The only difference now is that chatting with Gemini inside Gmail is yet another source of data. This data can be sought through your inbox.
"It's a reminder to people that email should be treated almost not quite public," said Thorin Klosowski. He is a privacy and security activist at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a digital rights nonprofit. "It should be treated like the company who runs it and law enforcement can access it. The more you put it in it, the more they'll have access to."
The upshot is clear. If you use these tools, don't say anything naughty to Gemini.
Should I Opt Out?
All of the above features are turned on for Gmail users by default. The exception is AI Inbox, which has yet to be released. This means you will have to opt out if you are uninterested in using them. To opt out, go into the account settings and uncheck the box labeled "Smart features."
