Google Rolls Out Personal Intelligence for AI Mode in Search

Google has begun rolling out Personal Intelligence, a new capability in AI Mode for Search that allows the system to generate personalized responses using a user’s own data from Gmail and Google Photos. The feature is available to subscribers on paid AI plans who opt in to connect their accounts.

The announcement was made by Robby Stein, vice president of product for Google Search, in a company blog post published in January 2026. Personal Intelligence is launching as an experimental feature through Google Labs and is currently limited to users in the United States using English-language search.

Personalized Search through Connected Apps

Personal Intelligence enables AI Mode to reference information from connected Google services to tailor responses more closely to an individual’s context. Once enabled, AI Mode can draw on details such as email confirmations, travel bookings, or photo history when responding to queries.

According to Google, the goal is to reduce the need for users to repeatedly explain preferences or background details when searching. For example, a user asking about activities for an upcoming trip could receive suggestions informed by hotel reservations found in Gmail and previous travel photos stored in Google Photos. Shopping-related queries may factor in prior purchases, preferred brands, or upcoming destinations inferred from flight confirmations.

The system is powered by Gemini 3, which processes search queries alongside connected account data when the feature is active.

Availability and Eligibility

The feature is available only to Google AI Pro and AI Ultra subscribers who explicitly opt in. It applies to personal Google accounts and does not support Workspace business, enterprise, or education accounts.

Users can enable the feature through Search settings by connecting Gmail and Google Photos under a “Connected Content Apps” option. While the Gmail connection appears under a “Workspace” label in settings, Google confirms that Workspace accounts are not currently supported.

Google says eligible subscribers may also see in-product prompts inviting them to try Personal Intelligence directly within AI Mode as the rollout continues.

Privacy and Control Measures

Google emphasizes that Personal Intelligence is strictly opt-in and can be disabled at any time. The company states that AI Mode does not train directly on a user’s Gmail inbox or Google Photos library. Instead, training is limited to specific prompts and AI-generated responses to improve system performance over time.

Google also acknowledges the possibility of errors, including incorrect assumptions or misinterpreted context. Users can correct responses through follow-up prompts or submit feedback using in-product tools.

Background and Broader Implications

Personal Intelligence represents the delivery of a personalization feature first previewed at Google I/O in May 2025. In December, Google Search senior vice president Nick Fox said the capability was still in internal testing, with no public release timeline. The current rollout marks its first availability to users.

Fox previously reported that AI Mode had reached approximately 75 million daily active users, suggesting that deeper personalization could significantly change how users interact with search. By incorporating personal context automatically, AI Mode may reduce the amount of manual input required to receive tailored responses.

For publishers, the feature introduces new uncertainty around visibility and traffic. If AI Mode increasingly resolves queries using user-specific context, fewer searches may result in clicks to external websites. Google has not released data on how Personal Intelligence affects citations, link inclusion, or referral traffic within AI-generated responses.

What Comes Next

Personal Intelligence is rolling out gradually as a Labs experiment, with access expanding to eligible subscribers over the coming days. Google has not indicated whether the feature will be extended to free users or Workspace accounts.

Observers will be watching for further disclosures around analytics, attribution, and publisher impact, particularly as personalized AI responses become more central to how search results are delivered.