Google Clarifies Gmail Privacy: Your Emails Aren’t Used To Train AI Models

Concerns around Gmail privacy have been circulating again, especially after a class-action lawsuit claimed Google was quietly allowing Gemini to scan users’ private emails. Security reports added more fuel, suggesting that Gmail’s smart features might be feeding email content into AI training. Google has now responded with a clear explanation: your personal emails are not used to train its AI models, and nothing has changed behind the scenes without user consent.

Google says features like Smart Compose, Smart Reply and predictive suggestions have been around for years, and they work independently of any AI model-training pipeline. Email scanning still happens, but only for essential tasks such as spam filtering, inbox categorisation and offering writing suggestions. According to Google, these processes are standard, automated and unrelated to large-scale AI training.

Why the Confusion Started

A lawsuit filed in San Jose accused Google of updating Gmail settings in a way that allowed Gemini to read private communications automatically. Malwarebytes later echoed similar concerns. Both pointed to three Gmail smart features that were reportedly toggled on by default:

- Smart features in Gmail, Chat and Meet

- Smart features within Google Workspace

- Smart features used across other Google products

These settings allow things like reminders, categorised inboxes and personalised search results — but they don’t feed Gmail content into Gemini’s dataset, Google insists.

Google’s Response

The company stressed that:

- It has not altered any Gmail settings without consent

- It has never used personal Gmail content to train Gemini

- The settings in question have been in place for years

- Users can disable all related features whenever they want

The clarification addresses most concerns raised by the lawsuit, although questions remain about why such settings are enabled by default.

How to Turn Off Gmail Smart Features

If privacy is your priority, you can easily disable all three smart features.

On Desktop

1. Open Gmail

2. Go to Settings

3. Under General, find Smart Features

4. Toggle off the options

On Smartphone

1. Open the Gmail app

2. Go to Settings

3. Tap Data Privacy

4. Select your Google account

5. Turn off Smart Features and Workspace features

Gmail will continue to function normally, but suggestions like Smart Reply and Smart Compose may no longer appear.

Final Thoughts

Google’s reassurance won’t end the debate entirely, but it does offer much-needed clarity. None of the company’s AI models are trained on your private messages, and the smart features that scan emails operate in narrow, predefined ways. Still, with sensitive communication becoming increasingly intertwined with AI-driven services, users now face a straightforward trade-off: keep the convenience of personalised Gmail features, or turn them off for maximum control over privacy.