Google Gemini can scan every one of your photos in latest update — what this means for your privacy

Taylor Bushey
Wed, 29 Apr 2026 13:20:28 +0000

Google has just rolled out a major update to its Artificial Intelligence (AI) assistant Gemini, and it's one that could change how you interact with your photos forever.

The feature, called Personal Intelligence, now lets Gemini tap directly into your Google Photos library to create never-before-seen AI-generated images based on the people, places, and memories in your collection.

Instead of typing out lengthy descriptions or manually uploading pictures, Gemini already knows who you are, who your loved ones are, and what your life looks like. With a sentence or two, you can get AI-generated images that feel personal to you. For example, you can ask Gemini to find your best holiday snaps, reimagine a treasured photo as a watercolour, suggest a caption for a social media post, or plan your next trip based on places you've enjoyed before.

Google wrote in a blog post: "A lot of your most significant moments live in your Google Photos library. By connecting your Google Photos library to Personal Intelligence, Gemini goes a step further than just understanding your interests. It can use actual images of you and your loved ones to guide the image generation process."

However, this recent update has sparked privacy concerns among users.

Critics have raised concerns about just how sensitive personal photo libraries can be – they're packed with intimate moments, family gatherings, and private memories.

There are worries about potential misuse, too, with some pointing out that images could be exploited for deepfakes or harassment if they were ever copied or shared without consent. Most recently, Meta came under fire for videos surfacing from its Ray-Ban glasses of people undressing and using the toilet.

Gemini was also accused of reading your emails after a blog post from Google sparked confusion by suggesting that the AI-powered assistant will "draw on context from your Gmail, Drive and Chat".

To help clear up any misunderstandings, Google posted a statement on X, formerly Twitter, claiming that no settings have been changed and that Gmail content is not being used to train their Gemini AI models.

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

Given that family photos are even more sensitive than your inbox, it's natural to feel a bit uneasy about what Gemini could learn about you. Google has been quick to address these worries, stressing that the newest photo feature is strictly opt-in from the start. The company said: "Bringing personal details into your images shouldn't mean compromising on privacy, which is why our core commitments haven't changed.

"The Gemini app does not directly train its models on your private Google Photos library.

"We train on limited info, like specific prompts in Gemini and the model’s responses, to improve functionality over time. And connecting your Google apps to Gemini remains an opt-in experience that you can adjust in your settings at any time."

To be able to bring this feature to life, Google created a new AI model called Nano Banana 2, which does the heavy lifting when it comes to understanding your photos.

Once you've connected your library, Gemini can identify people and places, learn your tastes, and draw on past experiences without you having to explicitly explain anything to the AI.

So you can get Gemini to create a new image in the style of claymation with all of your family members — pulled from across your Google Photo library – without having to name anyone. The system can even save travel itineraries directly to other Google-owned apps, like Google Keep, making it feel less like a search tool and more like a personal assistant who genuinely knows your life.

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The company has also introduced a "Sources" feature that shows you exactly which photos Gemini used when creating content, so there's no mystery about where the chatty AI assistant is pulling the information.

The feature is only available to those with a Gemini AI Pro, AI Plus, and AI Ultra subscription in the United States. These start from £6.99 per month and max out at an eye-watering £234.99 per month. Google has stated ambitions to bring these customisation features to "more users" soon.

Google isn't the only company to offer similar features. Samsung Galaxy's AI Photo Assist uses generative AI to move, resize, or remove objects, fill in backgrounds, and generate new image elements. For example, it can generate a tree in the background of an outdoor picture.

If you'd rather keep Gemini at arm's length from your photos, there are plenty of ways to take back control.

Head to Settings > Personal Intelligence, and you'll find Connected Apps. You can then turn off Google Photos access and hit Disconnect.

You might also want to disable the Memory feature, which lets Gemini learn from your past chats to understand your interests and preferences.

For particularly sensitive conversations, there's a temporary chat mode that won't appear in your history or be used for training – these chats are only kept for 72 hours.

You can also delete past conversations from Google's activity history, either individually or in bulk, giving you full control over what the AI remembers about you.