Gmail is one of the most widely used email platforms in the world, trusted with everything from personal conversations to sensitive work files. But a recent warning from a tech expert has sparked serious concern over email privacy. An engineering YouTuber, Davery Jones, recently claimed that Gmail accounts are automatically set to allow Google to access emails and attachments to power its AI features, often without users realising it. He used the social media platform X (formerly Twitter) to warn that Gmail users may have been ‘opted in by default’ to AI tools capable of reading private messages. While Google insists this data is not used to train its AI models, experts argue that opt-out-by-default settings can be confusing and leave users unaware of how much access they are granting.
For those who want to protect their privacy, turning off Gmail’s smart features is a simple but important step. Desktop and laptop users can start by opening Gmail, clicking the ‘See all settings’ tab, and then navigating to the Smart Features section. Here, users should uncheck the box that says ‘Turn on smart features in Gmail, Chat, and Meet’.
After that, users need to click on ‘Manage Workspace smart feature settings’. A secondary window will appear, allowing users to turn off features across Google products and Google Workspace. Disabling these features will remove functions such as the Ask Gemini tool, content summaries, Google Assistant suggestions, and other automated recommendations.
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Although Google has said that it does not use Gmail data to train AI, privacy experts have called the smart features intrusive. The settings can be confusing, and many users may not even realise these features are turned on by default, meaning sensitive email information could be accessed without explicit consent.
That in itself means any Gmail user can take a few minutes to update these settings, thereby keeping their emails and attachments private. Experts note that while Google is not currently using that information to train its AI, turning off unnecessary features is simply a good habit to develop for digital safety.
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Google has denied accusations that it uses user emails to train its AI models. The company says it uses data collected through smart features only to provide suggestions and assistive tools within Gmail and other Google products. It underlines that no email content appears outside these functionalities. Still, the alerts serve as a good reminder that users need to check their account settings periodically. Privacy experts suggest that users check Gmail and other apps regularly to ensure features are not automatically sharing information without consent.