Google Privacy Policy Now Lets Gmail and Photos Data Shape AI Mode Ads

Google's privacy policy update took effect on October 16, allowing content from Gmail, Google Photos, and Google Drive to influence personalized ads when users connect those apps to other Google services. The change applies mainly to searchers who opt into Personal Intelligence in Gemini and AI Mode in Search. Alongside the policy revision, Google has started testing AI Mode ads for users with Personal Intelligence turned on, according to gHacks.

What changed in the privacy policy?

For years, Google's privacy policy stated the company does not show personalized ads based on content from Drive, Gmail, or Photos. Google scanned free Gmail accounts to target ads until 2017, before ending the practice.

The updated policy keeps that statement but adds an exception: "...unless you choose to make data from these services available to other Google services that support personalized ads."

A new passage explains that users can give Search or Gemini Apps access to information from other Google apps. How that information gets used depends on the settings and policies of the service accessing it. Google specifically says Search may use some of that information to personalize content, including ads.

How does Personal Intelligence shape AI Mode ads?

Personal Intelligence is an opt-in feature that lets Gemini and AI Mode in Search pull context from connected apps. Google launched it in January 2026 as a Labs experiment, in English, for eligible U.S. subscribers to Google AI Pro and AI Ultra using personal Google accounts. Workspace business, enterprise, and education accounts were excluded. At launch, users could connect Gmail and Google Photos.

When a searcher uses Personal Intelligence, AI Mode can reference a hotel booking or flight confirmation in Gmail alongside travel pictures in Google Photos to tailor responses.

Robby Stein, VP of Product for Google Search, described the retail use case in Google's January announcement: "Personal Intelligence can also be particularly helpful for shopping, because AI Mode considers the types of items you buy and where you shop. If you need a new coat for your upcoming trip, AI Mode could automatically take into account the brands you prefer, as well as your flight confirmation in Gmail to identify the destination and timing (Chicago in March). You'll get suggestions for windproof, versatile coats that fit the weather and your preferred look. It's like a personal shopper who already knows your itinerary and the vibe you're going for."

When Google expanded the feature in March, the company said the Personal Intelligence experience would stay ad-free for now, while noting it expected ads to work in a similar way for connected users later. That test has now begun.

What are the data boundaries?

According to Google's Search Help documentation cited by The Keyword, ads are not matched directly to the raw contents of an email or photo library. Instead, Search may reference summaries, excerpts, and inferences from connected sources to personalize the experience — and that same information may be used to show ads.

Google outlined several limits:

• No advertiser access: Advertisers cannot access a user's connected Gmail inbox or Google Photos library.
• Sensitive categories excluded: Google does not serve personalized ads based on race, religion, sexual orientation, or health.
• User opt-out controls: Users can turn off personalized ads in My Ad Center, or disconnect apps via Search personalization settings > Connected Content Apps in their Google Account.

Turning off ad personalization in My Ad Center does not necessarily stop connected apps from feeding data into AI features. Disconnecting the apps is the only way to remove Gmail and Photos from Personal Intelligence entirely.

Google's help page also notes that connected-app summaries, excerpts, and inferences may train Google's generative AI models, and that a subset of data processed by AI Mode and Ask Maps is reviewed by human reviewers.

What does this mean for advertisers?

Advertisers looking for a new targeting toggle or audience segment in Google Ads will not find one. Personal Intelligence sits entirely on the searcher's side, and Google has announced no new advertiser controls, targeting options, or dedicated reporting for the test.

Campaign eligibility follows existing AI Mode rules. Google named three campaign types as eligible: Performance Max, Shopping, and Search campaigns using broad match, including AI Max for Search. Eligibility does not confirm a campaign has served ads to Personal Intelligence users, and Google has not announced separate requirements for this test.

Connected apps could supply information about a shopping need absent from the query itself, but advertisers have limited visibility into whether that information affects delivery. Reporting has two gaps:

• No dedicated Personal Intelligence reporting: No report shows when connected-app information influenced an impression.
• AI Max reports don't identify these signals: Search term, asset, and landing page reports show AI Max performance without indicating Gmail or Photos contributions.

What is still unknown?

Google has not said when AI Mode ads for Personal Intelligence users will move beyond testing, or whether advertisers will get dedicated reporting or placement controls.

It also remains unclear whether connected-app signals personalize ads only inside AI Mode or across other Google properties. While the test is described for AI Mode, The Keyword observed that Google's help page answers the personalization question for "Search Services" as a whole — a group it defines as Google Search (including AI Mode and Discover), Maps, Shopping, Flights, Hotels, Translate, and News.

Google is also replacing its Web & App Activity and Search Personalization controls with two new settings, Search Services History and Personalized Recommendations, over the coming months. Advertisers should watch for announcements on ad eligibility, reporting, and whether connected-app signals extend beyond AI Mode.