Google has unveiled a new artificial intelligence feature called Personal Intelligence, aimed at transforming Gemini into a more intuitive and personalised digital assistant.
The announcement, shared via an official company blog post, signals a shift away from one-size-fits-all AI responses toward assistance that is context-aware, proactive, and tailored to individual users.
According to Google, the update represents “the next step in making Gemini more personal, proactive, and powerful.”
How Personal Intelligence Works
Personal Intelligence enables Gemini to draw insights from a user’s connected Google services, including Gmail, Google Photos, YouTube, and Google Search.
Rather than responding only to a single prompt, Gemini can now connect information across apps, recognise patterns, and offer suggestions based on a user’s habits, preferences, and past activity.
For instance, when planning a short trip, Gemini may combine outdoor locations inferred from Photos with event details pulled from Gmail to recommend a more personalised itinerary.
Real-World Applications and Everyday Benefits
Google says the feature is designed to reduce friction in daily life by making Gemini more useful across practical scenarios, such as:
- Daily tasks: Identifying a car’s tyre size by referencing stored photos and related emails, even retrieving licence plate details when needed.
- Content discovery: Recommending books, movies, or shows based on viewing and reading history.
- Travel ideas: Suggesting destinations informed by past trips and interests.
- Information retrieval: Quickly locating old schedules, receipts, or quotes saved across Gmail and Photos.
These capabilities go beyond earlier AI assistants that relied mainly on chat history or isolated datasets.
Privacy and User Control Built In
Google stressed that privacy safeguards are central to Personal Intelligence.
The feature is disabled by default and requires users to opt in. Individuals can decide which Google apps Gemini is allowed to access and can limit connections to only what they are comfortable sharing.
Google also clarified that:
- Personal content from emails and photos is not used to train Gemini directly
- Only limited interaction data, such as prompts and responses, may be used to improve the system
- Gemini can explain which connected source informed an answer if asked
- Users can regenerate responses without personal data if something feels off
Additional guardrails are designed to prevent the AI from making assumptions about sensitive topics unless explicitly requested.
Rollout and Availability
At launch, Personal Intelligence is available as a beta feature for Google AI Pro and AI Ultra subscribers in the United States.
The feature is supported across:
- Web
- Android
- iOS versions of the Gemini app
Google plans to expand access to more regions over time and eventually introduce the capability to free-tier users.
The company also confirmed that Personal Intelligence will later extend to AI Mode in Google Search, bringing personalized insights directly into standard search experiences.
Why It Matters
With Personal Intelligence, Google is repositioning Gemini as more than a conversational chatbot, turning it into an assistant that understands context, remembers relevant details, and actively supports everyday decision-making.
As competition intensifies in the consumer AI space, this move highlights Google’s strategy to differentiate Gemini through deep personalisation, privacy controls, and tight integration with its ecosystem, a shift that could redefine how users engage with AI assistants.
