AI Connections May Allow Private App Data to Shape Personalized Ads
A New Privacy Explanation
A major search and artificial intelligence company has updated its privacy policy to explain how personal information may be used when people connect different services to its AI tools.
The policy says users may allow services such as an internet search tool or an AI assistant to access information from other connected services. These may include email, cloud storage, photo libraries, video accounts, and other workplace apps. The goal is to give users more personalized answers and recommendations.
However, the policy also explains that some of the information shared with the search tool may be used to personalize content, including advertisements.
This means information from connected apps could become a signal for targeted ads if users choose to share that information with AI features.
What Happens With Email, Photos, and Files?
The revised policy says personal ads are not based on content from email, cloud storage, or photo services by default. That setting can change when a person chooses to make information from those services available to other tools that support personalized advertising.
For example, a person could connect an email account and photo library to an AI assistant so the assistant can give more useful answers. The assistant might then use details from those services to understand the user's interests, needs, or recent activity.
If the same person uses an AI-powered search feature while those connections are active, the information used to create the answer could also help shape the ads shown on the service.
The company says this policy language is meant to make the trade-off easier to understand. Users may receive more helpful and personal AI responses, but they may also allow more personal data to affect advertising choices.
A Feature Still Being Tested
The connected-service feature is being offered as a beta program to eligible users who are at least 18 years old. It is available in many parts of the world, with several exceptions.
The program is not available in:
- The European Economic Area
- Switzerland
- The United Kingdom
- Nigeria
The feature allows people to connect services such as email, photos, video history, and other accounts. The information can be combined with a person's AI chat history and saved preferences to provide more tailored responses.
Because the program is still in beta, its availability and settings may change. Users should review which services are connected before using the feature for personal questions or searches.
How Users Can Limit Data Sharing
People who do not want their email, photos, or files connected to AI tools can remove individual services from the personalization feature. This allows users to keep some connections while disconnecting others.
Users can also turn off personalized recommendations through the search service's personalization settings. Doing so may reduce the amount of personal information used to customize results, suggestions, and advertisements.
Before enabling any AI connection, users should consider what information the service can access and how that information may be used. Private messages, saved photos, documents, and activity records can reveal details about a person's interests, plans, relationships, health, work, and shopping habits.
Advertising Is Expanding Across AI Services
The policy change comes as advertising becomes more common in AI products. Another major AI company has begun showing ads to logged-in adult users in the United States who use either its free plan or a lower-cost paid plan.
That company says it does not sell customer information or private conversations to advertisers. It also says advertisers cannot see users' conversations and that ads do not affect the answers produced by the AI assistant.
The ads are labeled and kept separate from the assistant's responses. Users are also given control over parts of the advertising experience.
The same company has expanded its advertising program to 26 additional countries, bringing the total number of participating countries to 89. The expansion includes 14 more countries in Latin America, along with markets in Europe, Africa, and Asia.
The Privacy Trade-Off
AI tools often work better when they can use more information about a person. Connecting email, photos, files, and viewing history may help an assistant answer questions with greater context.
At the same time, sharing that information can create new privacy concerns. Data that was once kept inside a specific service may become available to other tools, including systems used to personalize advertising.
Users should check their connected-app settings and decide whether the convenience of personalized AI features is worth allowing more personal information to influence their online experience.