Important Gmail warning issued, with users urged to switch off one setting immediately (original) (raw)

Gmail users are being urged to switch off one AI setting without delay.

An 'important' alert has been issued to millions of Gmail users, and it's worth taking note if you hate the idea of AI having a quick glance at your emails. The latest caution has been posted online by American TV personality and entrepreneur Lori Greiner.

The Shark Tank star placed a message on Instagram over the weekend that said, "Important information if you have a Gmail account. Please share with friends and family to help protect them too! Stay alert. Stay safe."

So what is the concern, and what do you need to do to opt out?

The advice has been circulated due to Google 's new AI smart features, which are designed to crawl inboxes and deliver features such as smart searches, contextual replies and email summaries. Google says it never reads messages for its own personal use, but that's not stopped Greiner from being concerned.

“If you have a Gmail account, do not ignore this warning," the celebrity said in her Instagram message.

"Google doesn’t want you to know this, but they’ve been allowing AI to scan every single one of your emails, and I'm talking about everything.

"Your financial documents, your tax information, your personal conversations. All of it is being scanned by AI, without you even knowing."

If that's got you worried, then don't panic, as it's easy to switch this setting off.

“Here’s the good news," Greiner added. "You can turn it off in 30 seconds."

Follow these simple steps to deactivate AI in Gmail.

Go to Settings and click "see all settings".

The scroll down until you see "Smart features".

Then simply turn off smart features in Gmail, Chat and Meet. This then means Google will no longer scan your messages.

Also, click "Manage Workspace Smart Features" and uncheck boxes for Workspace and other products to fully restrict data usage for AI

Google remains confident that no personal data is ever seen by its team or third parties and everything is secure.

"Google does not train its foundational AI models, including Gemini, on your personal emails. Any access you grant Gemini in Gmail is for isolated tasks — like summarising a lengthy email — and that’s it. What’s in your inbox stays private, even if you use Gemini to help you," the tech giant said.

"Gemini in Gmail does not retain your data. We engineered it to work securely inside your inbox so that it only processes what you ask for, then leaves your inbox. Gemini only processes your information to complete your specific request, and doesn't hold onto that data afterward. Bottom line: Your inbox is your business."

That said, if you hate the idea of AI, it might be worth unticking that smart box in Gmail.