Google will use info from its AI tools to personalize your ads

Google plans to use information you connect to its AI products to make the ads you see more personal to you. Inc. reports that the change breaks a long-held promise Google made about Gmail. The move matters most to anyone who links email or other accounts to Google's AI tools.

What changed

Until now, Google has been known for a promise tied to Gmail, its email service. Inc. says the new ad plan breaks that promise. The stated goal is simple: ads that feel more personal. The change covers information you connect to Google's AI products, meaning the AI tools you can link to your accounts.

Who it affects

Anyone who connects email or other accounts to Google's AI tools could be touched by this. If you never link anything, the material does not suggest your data is part of the change. The details are thin, so it is hard to say how far it reaches.

What is not known yet

• Exactly which accounts and data types count as connected information
• When the change starts for users
• Whether you can opt out, and how
• Whether Gmail message content itself is used

What to do

If you have linked email or other accounts to Google's AI tools, check your privacy and ad settings. Look for what is shared and whether ad personalization is switched on. Settings can change over time, so it is worth a second look every few months.