An alert deemed ‘significant’ has been issued to millions of Gmail users, prompting attention for those who are wary of AI scanning their emails. This warning was recently shared by American TV personality and entrepreneur Lori Greiner on Instagram.
The Shark Tank celebrity took to Instagram over the weekend to share important information for Gmail users, urging them to spread the word to friends and family to enhance their safety and awareness.
The concern arises from Google’s introduction of new AI smart features aimed at scanning inboxes to provide functionalities like smart searches, contextual replies, and email summaries. While Google asserts that it does not read messages for personal use, Greiner remains apprehensive about this practice.
In her Instagram message, Greiner emphasized the importance of not disregarding the warning if you have a Gmail account, cautioning that AI is scanning all emails, including sensitive information like financial documents, tax records, and personal conversations, without users’ knowledge.
To address this issue, Greiner reassures users that it is simple to disable this setting. By following a few steps, users can deactivate AI in Gmail by accessing Settings, navigating to “Smart features,” and turning off smart features in Gmail, Chat, and Meet to prevent Google from scanning messages. Additionally, users can manage Workspace Smart Features to further restrict data usage for AI.
Google maintains that personal data is not accessed by its team or third parties and assures users that their information is secure. The tech giant clarifies that AI models, like Gemini, are not trained on personal emails, emphasizing that user privacy is preserved even when utilizing Gemini for specific tasks in Gmail.
For those uncomfortable with AI scanning, it may be advisable to disable the smart features in Gmail settings to ensure privacy and data security.