Google denies Gmail reads your emails and attachments to train AI, but here's how to opt-out anyway

[Daniel Sims]

Connecting the dots: Gmail users who are concerned about how Google handles their data should look for the toggles for smart features in the settings menu. The fine print states that the AI functionality, which includes many features, is intended mainly for personalizing the user experience. However, some remain suspicious given Google's efforts to insert Gemini into all of its products.

The settings menu states that users who enable smart features agree to let Google use their information and activity to personalize the experience. Malwarebytes and blogger Dave Jones interpreted the wording to mean that the company is training AI with user content, but Google insists this is inaccurate.

IMPORTANT message for everyone using Gmail.
You have been automatically OPTED IN to allow Gmail to access all your private messages & attachments to train AI models.
You have to manually turn off Smart Features in the Setting menu in TWO locations.

Retweet so every is aware. pic.twitter.com/54FKcr4jO2

– Dave Jones (@eevblog) November 19, 2025

To reach the settings menu, click the gear icon on the top right corner of the window, next to the Gemini icon. The smart features are located in two sections near the bottom of the list under Settings > General.

The first section controls smart features in Gmail, Chat, and Meet, including spell check, spam filters, and automatic email sorting. To reach the second section, click the button that opens the Workspace smart features menu.

This menu contains two toggles for functions such as displaying Gmail events in Google Calendar, generating summaries with AI, and managing restaurant reservations. After adjusting the settings, click Save and reload.

Let's set the record straight on recent misleading reports. Here are the facts:

• We have not changed anyone's settings.

• Gmail Smart Features have existed for many years.

• We do not use your Gmail content to train our Gemini AI model.

We are always transparent and…

– Gmail (@gmail) November 21, 2025

Google has flatly denied using user content to train Gemini, noting that Gmail has offered some of these features for many years. However, the Workspace menu refers to newly added Gemini functionality several times.

The company also denied automatically modifying user permissions, but some people have reported needing multiple attempts to turn off smart features.

Gmail started using AI in late 2023 when it incorporated the technology into its spam blocker. The following year, it introduced an AI writing assistant. Earlier this year, Google began activating AI generated summaries by default on mobile devices and added AI powered tools to Gmail search.

In addition to raising privacy concerns, Gmail's AI functionality has exposed serious vulnerabilities. In March, Mozilla found that attackers could easily inject prompts that would cause the client's AI generated summaries to become phishing messages.

Other services that have previously trained AI on user content include Facebook, LinkedIn, Slack, and YouTube. These days researchers are going beyond software and started observing people in real life in order to train future AI-powered robots.

Permalink to story:

Google denies Gmail reads your emails and attachments to train AI, but here's how to opt-out anyway

 

[themastergoose]

Google: We don't read your emails and attachments
Also Google: You can opt-out of having your emails and attachments read by us/our AI

Right... so if you don't read them Google why the toggle to opt out! £10 says the toggle is also for vanity only and actually does nothing. ;-)

 

[Str8Shot]

Google: We don't read your emails and attachments
Also Google: You can opt-out of having your emails and attachments read by us/our AI

Right... so if you don't read them Google why the toggle to opt out! £10 says the toggle is also for vanity only and actually does nothing. ;-)

100%. I’m always wary of software settings vs. hardware switches. Software can be overridden with a simple reboot, hardware stays toggled until the user changes it. Case in point, my S.M.A.R.T TV has Bluetooth disabled with a toggle, great, but unplug the TV and restart it, it’s back on (for those presumed SMART IoT integration), with a hardware switch no one would have this problem.

 

[yRaz]

100%. I’m always wary of software settings vs. hardware switches. Software can be overridden with a simple reboot, hardware stays toggled until the user changes it. Case in point, my S.M.A.R.T TV has Bluetooth disabled with a toggle, great, but unplug the TV and restart it, it’s back on (for those presumed SMART IoT integration), with a hardware switch no one would have this problem.

I was repairing a ribbon cable connecting the board on my Samsung to the screen and let the smoke out of the wireless controller was in was in there. It's an option if you don't use any smart features, just make sure remote doesn't use Bluetooth. My "smart remote" was but the only thing it used for Bluetooth was voice controls, the IR controls on the remote for volume and navigating menus still worked.

If you have Bluetooth speakers that might be an issue, but I just use the wired fiberoptic connectors to connect to my AMP and I have wired speakers

 

[YouShallNotPass]

They should separate the smart feature main toggle button into several buttons. I just want to disable AI feature but keep the other features like spellcheck and category, etc.

 

[JMGuy]

They should separate the smart feature main toggle button into several buttons. I just want to disable AI feature but keep the other features like spellcheck and category, etc.

This is by design.

Instead of giving users real choice, they make opting out a sacrifice. Separating the features would empower users. Google is a business; they need to justify their free SaaS by making you the product in some form or another.

All of these big-tech companies are just going to keep pushing you toward AI whether you actually want it or not. They’ve invested billions into it, and they need the adoption numbers to match. Your only option, eventually, if you don’t want AI baked in, will be to abandon these types of free SaaS for more traditional software.

 

[seeprime]

Not read by humans, but analyzed by computers. Hmmm.

 

[axiomatic13]

Weird, I don't have the AI version yet? Is it a slow rollout?

 

[bviktor]

Google reads and analyzes your emails with or without AI. It's in their TOS. No sane person should use Gmail for anything.

 

[RaXelliX]

They should separate the smart feature main toggle button into several buttons. I just want to disable AI feature but keep the other features like spellcheck and category, etc.

Exactly. I noticed this as as soon as I turned off the new "AI" crap. Now it also disables previously enabled features like grammar suggestion, spellcheck, auto-correct, writing suggestions, personalization, nudges, smart reply, package tracking, importance markers and filtered mail.

Is is deceptive bundling. Those features have nothing to do with "AI" and were invented way before and worked.

Another scare tactic is a reminder in top of inbox to enable "AI". Thankfully this does not persist page reload.