Good morning!

Gemini just came out with an update called Personal Intelligence, and it makes using AI in your daily life so much easier.

Gemini has never been the go-to AI for most people. It's been eclipsed by other models like ChatGPT and Claude for the longest time.

So this is likely part of their attempt to catch up to ChatGPT and become one of the most popular AI models out there.

And honestly? This update might actually do it.

What is Gemini Personal Intelligence?

In simple terms:

Personal Intelligence is a new feature that (with your permission) allows Gemini to access your Gmail, Google Drive, Google Photos, Google Search History, and Google Maps.

Why does that matter?

Because it gives Gemini the ability to provide a fully personalized experience based on your actual life—not generic advice.

It's not just answering questions anymore. It's understanding you.

Gemini Before vs. After This Update

Before Personal Intelligence: You ask Gemini a question, and it gives you a generic answer based on public information

Like asking any other AI chatbot.

After Personal Intelligence: Gemini knows your life

• It knows what car model you drive.

• It knows where you often go for dinner or vacation.

• It knows which clothes you browse and what size you wear.

• It knows who sends you emails and what you're working on.

• It knows which YouTube channels you’re subscribed to

So instead of giving you generic advice, it gives you answers tailored to your actual situation.

That's the difference.

Example of Real-Life Benefits

Here are 5 real-world examples of how Personal Intelligence changes things:

1. Car maintenance - You're at the tire shop and don't know what tires to buy.

   You ask Gemini, and it pulls up photos of your car from Google Photos, checks your search history for road trips, and recommends tires based on how you actually drive.

2. Restaurant recommendations - You're traveling and want a place to eat.

   You ask Gemini, and it recommends restaurants based on your current diet or health goals (from past searches or emails) and dietary restrictions it already knows about.

3. Shopping - You need a new jacket. Gemini checks your past purchases and browsing history, knows your size and style preferences, and suggests options you'll actually like.

4. Travel planning - You say, "Plan a weekend trip."

   Gemini pulls photos of places you've been, checks your calendar for availability, looks at your search history for interests, and suggests a full itinerary with flights, hotels, and activities.

5. Recommend Content To You via YouTube, and so much more

Gemini Knows You Without Introducing Yourself

This is what makes Personal Intelligence so powerful.

You don't have to explain your situation. You don't have to give context.

Gemini already knows.

It's currently the closest thing we have to AI reading our minds.

You just ask a simple question, and it gives you a fully personalized answer based on your real life.

This is different from last year's update

You might be thinking: "Wait, didn't Gemini already have access to my Gmail and Drive?"

Kind of. But not really.

Last year's update let Gemini see the titles of your emails and files. It could tell you what documents you had or what emails you received. But it couldn't actually read them.

This new update is different.

Now Gemini can actually open your emails and files and read the contents. It can understand the context. It can pull specific information from inside those documents.

So instead of just saying "You have an email from your mechanic," it can now say "Your mechanic sent you an email saying your oil change is due next week and recommended synthetic oil for your 2019 Honda Accord."

That's a huge difference.

Your Data’s Privacy

Some people might be worried about privacy with this update.

Gemini’s Personal Intelligence can only be activated with your explicit permission.

You're not giving Google any new information.

All of this data—your emails, photos, search history, maps—already lives inside Google's database.

What Personal Intelligence does is let Gemini use that data to help you.

It's not collecting anything new. It's not sending your data anywhere else. It's just making the data you already store with Google more useful.

And remember: this is opt-in. You have to turn it on yourself. You choose which apps to connect. And you can turn it off anytime.

So if you're already using Gmail, Google Photos, and Google Drive, you're not taking any additional privacy risk by turning this on.

This Release is Likely a Response To ChatGPT Health Released by OpenAI 

A few weeks ago, OpenAI launched ChatGPT Health. It’s a dedicated health feature refined by over 260 doctors.

It was a big move, and a great tool in my opinion since healthcare is so expensive here in the US.

But now Google is firing back with Personal Intelligence.

In my opinion, Google and Gemini will be winning this race in the long run.

Why?

Because Google holds the motherload of internet data.

They own Gmail. They own Google Search. They own Google Photos. They own YouTube.

And AI models need data to be trained.

The more data you have, the smarter your AI becomes.

OpenAI doesn't have access to that kind of personal data. They don't live inside your inbox or your photo library.

Google does.

So yeah, OpenAI needs to find a way to get its hands on more data to accelerate their development.

Otherwise, Google is going to keep pulling ahead.

How to Try This New Feature 👇

Here's how to turn it on:

1. Open the Gemini app (web, Android, or iOS)

2. Go to Settings Select Personal Intelligence

3. Choose which apps to connect (Gmail, Photos, Drive, etc.)

Turn it on Important notes:

• This is only available to Google AI Pro ($19.99/month) or Google AI Ultra ($249.99/month) subscribers

• It's currently only available in the US and only in English

• It's opt-in, so it's off by default—you have to turn it on yourself

• You can choose which apps to connect and turn it off anytime

Will you start using Gemini more with this update?

Personally, I think this is a fun and helpful feature to have.

If Google keeps building on this, Gemini could become the most useful AI assistant out there.

Hit reply and let me know if you’re going to try it.

Talk soon.

Brian