Google Gemini Introduced Personal Intelligence

Gemini has introduced an AI assistant whose name is Personal Intelligence to connect to the Google app in a single tab.

While this AI feature might be very useful for some users, it could be frightening for others.

What is Personal Intelligence?

Personal Intelligence is a beta feature that allows Gemini to access and reason across your data in your Google apps, such as Search, YouTube, Gmail, and Photos. This allows the AI to provide answers tailored to your specific life, rather than just general information from the web. Actually, it is an AI assistant.

Key Capabilities of Personal Intelligence

Examples of the AI assistant capabilities;

• Contextual Assistance: Gemini can retrieve specific details from your history, such as finding a license plate number from a photo or checking a vehicle’s trim from an old email.
  • Home Maintenance: “What was the brand and color code of the paint we used for the guest bedroom three years ago?” Gemini can find the receipt in your Gmail or a photo of the paint can in Google Photos.
  • Medical/Insurance: “When was my last tetanus shot?” Gemini can scan your Gmail for appointment confirmations or search for a photo of a vaccination card you took for records.
  • Travel Logistics: “What is my frequent flyer number for Delta?” Instead of you logging into the airline app, Gemini pulls it from a “Welcome” or “Profile Update” email in your Gmail.
  • Gifting: “What size shoe does my sister wear?” Gemini might find an old email from her with a “wishlist” or a receipt for a pair of boots you bought her last Christmas.
• Proactive Reasoning: It can combine information from multiple sources. For example, if you’re buying tires, it can look at your past road trips in Photos to recommend the best tire type for your driving habits.
  • Appliance Repair: “My dishwasher is making a high-pitched noise. Can you help?” Gemini identifies your specific model number from a Gmail receipt, searches YouTube for repair videos for that exact model, and checks your Google Maps history to see if there is a local hardware store nearby that is open now to buy parts.
  • Fitness & Nutrition: “Suggest a workout for today.” Gemini looks at your Gmail for a recent physical therapy report (noting a knee injury) and checks YouTube to find “low-impact” or “knee-friendly” workout videos that match your history.
  • Finance/Budgeting: “Can I afford that $200 jacket I saw?” Gemini can check your recent “Order Confirmed” emails in Gmail to see how much you’ve already spent on clothes this month and compare it to your average monthly spending.
• Personalized Planning: It can suggest travel itineraries or activities based on your family’s interests and past trips found in your emails.
  • Dining Out: “Plan a Friday night out for my partner and me.” Gemini remembers from your Google Maps reviews that you dislike loud restaurants and sees from your Gmail that you recently bought tickets to a 7:00 PM movie. It suggests a quiet bistro within walking distance of the theater that has a table available at 5:30 PM.
  • Weekend Trips: “Suggest a 2-day road trip for this weekend.” Gemini sees in Google Photos that you often take pictures of hiking trails and waterfalls. It avoids suggesting a city trip and instead plans a route to a state park you haven’t visited yet, referencing your Search history for “best dog-friendly trails.”
  • Event Hosting: “I’m hosting a dinner for the Smiths. Any suggestions?” Gemini scans your Gmail or Google Photos to remember that last time they came over, you served a dish they mentioned they were allergic to (or conversely, a dish they raved about), and suggests a menu that avoids those ingredients.

Privacy and Control

• Opt-in Only: The feature is off by default. Users must manually choose to turn it on and select which apps to link.
• No Direct Training on Personal Files: Google states that Gemini does not train directly on your Gmail inbox or Photos library. Instead, it “references” this data to answer your specific prompts. Training is limited to the prompts and responses themselves (with personal data filtered out).
• Transparency: Gemini will cite the sources it used (e.g., “Found in Gmail”) so you can verify the information.

Personal Intelligence Availability

• Rollout: Currently rolling out to Google AI Pro and AI Ultra subscribers in the U.S.
• Platforms: Available on Web, Android, and iOS.
• Future Plans: Google intends to expand this to more countries and the free tier of Gemini over time. It is currently for personal accounts only (not Workspace for business or education).

How to Turn it On Personal Intelligence

1. Open Gemini and tap Settings
2. Tap Personal Intelligence
3. Select Connected Apps (Gmail, Photos, etc.)