[UPDATE] Google AI Mode ads may draw on Gmail/Photos-derived data for users who connect apps
Notebookcheck and Digital Trends reported on Oct 24 that Google's privacy policy, effective Oct 16, adds an exception to its no-ads promise for Gmail, Drive and Photos content. The exception applies when users connect those apps to Search through Personal Intelligence. Summaries and inferences from connected apps can then shape ads in AI Mode, and a Google spokesperson said ads in AI Mode are being tested for these users. Google says advertisers get no access to the content and sensitive categories are excluded. This is an observable step in monetizing conversational search with first-party personal context. Still unknown: test markets, ad formats and any advertiser-facing reporting.