Google Expands Personal Intelligence to AI Mode in Search, Can Tailor Results Using Gmail and Photos

Google is expanding Personal Intelligence to AI Mode in Search. On Thursday, the Mountain View-based tech giant announced that the artificial intelligence (AI) technology that allows chatbots to connect to various Google apps and draw context to tailor the responses is now being added to AI Mode. With this, it can connect to Gmail and Google Photos to show results that are more relevant to the user. Interestingly, the company released the technology in Gemini earlier this month, highlighting that it will reduce the need for users to repeat details in queries.

AI Mode Gets Personal Intelligence

In a blog post, the tech giant announced and detailed the new upgrade to AI Mode in Search. It is currently rolling out as an experimental feature, as part of Google Labs. It will be available to AI Pro and AI Ultra subscribers in the US, in English. Also, Personal Intelligence is currently only available for individual accounts, and not for Workspace business, enterprise, or education accounts.

Personal Intelligence in AI Mode lets users connect first-party Google platforms, such as Gmail and Google Photos, so that the search assistant can reference relevant information from those accounts when answering queries. Google said the feature can pick up cues from emails (reservations or bookings) and photos (locations or people) to provide context-aware suggestions and responses that would not be possible with generic web results alone.

For instance, a query about local attractions and places to eat could prompt AI Mode to use a hotel confirmation email stored in Gmail and recent travel photos to recommend nearby venues tailored to the user's trip. Google shared another example where AI Mode can draw on photo content to suggest activities suited to past interests. These personalised prompts are only generated when users explicitly enable the feature and grant permission to access data from connected services.

On privacy and security, the tech giant said that Personal Intelligence is an opt-in feature that is optional and is entirely user-controlled. Users must toggle the feature on in AI Mode, and they can disconnect Gmail or Photos at any time, which stops the AI from accessing those data sources. Google also said that while the system references connected data to help generate answers, it does not train its models directly on personal Gmail or Photos content; these interactions are limited to providing context for specific queries.