Gemini Introduces Personal Intelligence to Connect Gmail, Photos and Other Google Apps

Google has introduced Personal Intelligence, a new feature for its AI assistant Gemini, which allows users to connect their Google apps—such as Gmail, Google Photos, YouTube, and Search—to receive more context-aware responses. 

Access to Personal Intelligence will roll out over the next week to eligible Google AI Pro and AI Ultra subscribers in the US. It will be available on the web, Android, and iOS, and is limited to personal Google accounts. Google said it plans to expand access to more countries and eventually to the free tier, and to bring the feature to AI Mode in Search.

Personal Intelligence is designed to help Gemini retrieve and reason across personal information stored in connected apps, while giving users control over what data is accessed. It allows Gemini to answer questions by pulling specific details from emails, photos or searches, and combining information with general web knowledge. The system can also explain where information was sourced from, the company said.

The feature is disabled by default and can be enabled or disabled at any time.

“The best assistants don’t just know the world; they know you and help you navigate it,” Josh Woodward, vice president of Google Labs, Gemini and AI Studio, said in a statement. “You control exactly which apps to link, and each one enhances the experience.”

Woodward shared an example in which Gemini identified the correct tyre size for his family’s minivan, suggested tyre options based on travel history found in Photos, retrieved the vehicle’s license plate number from an image, and confirmed the trim level using Gmail. 

Google said the feature can also be used for recommendations related to travel, entertainment and shopping, based on a user’s past activity across connected apps.

Regarding privacy, the company stated that Personal Intelligence does not train directly on users’ Gmail inboxes or Photo libraries. “We don’t train our systems to learn your license plate number; we train them to understand that when you ask for one, we can locate it,” Woodward said. Users can opt out of personalisation for specific chats, use temporary chats or disconnect apps at any time.

Google acknowledged that the beta may produce inaccurate or overly personalised responses and encouraged users to provide feedback. The company said it has guardrails to avoid making proactive assumptions about sensitive data, such as health information.