Gemini AI will soon perform Assistant tasks—without saving your data
What's the story
Google is gearing up to replace its popular voice assistant on Android devices with its new artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot called Gemini. The tech giant recently announced the upcoming change via an email sent to existing Gemini users. The update will be rolled out on July 7 and will allow the AI bot to control device features and apps with less privacy concerns.
Enhanced functionality
Gemini will be able to access these apps
The update will enable Gemini to access Phone, Messages, WhatsApp, and Utilities on your phone. This will happen even when the Gemini Apps Activity setting is disabled. The move allows users to utilize Gemini's capabilities without their interactions being used to improve AI models.
User control
What disabling the apps activity setting means
Disabling the Gemini Apps Activity setting stops conversations with the chatbot from being used to "provide, improve, develop, and personalize" Google products and AI models. It also currently prevents users from asking Gemini to perform tasks in connected apps like setting alarms, calling contacts, sending WhatsApp messages or controlling media playback settings. This setting allows users to prevent their interactions from being used to improve Google's AI models.
Clarification issued
Update won't give Gemini unrestricted access to private data
The initial vague wording of Google's message had led to some confusion over whether the update would give Gemini unrestricted access to private data or system functions. However, Google has since clarified that users can disable Gemini's app connections at any time. The company also assured that the update "is good for users," allowing them to complete daily tasks on their mobile devices while keeping their chats private from AI model improvements.
AI evolution
Gemini will act as your personal assistant on Android devices
The upcoming change means users can use Gemini as a personal assistant for their device without contributing to Google's AI training datasets. This comes just in time for Gemini's planned replacement of Google Assistant on Android devices later this year. Disabling Apps Activity will also prevent Gemini interactions from showing up in the activity log, although Google says it will still keep conversations for up to 72 hours for security reasons, even if the setting is disabled.