Google has a big message for people who use Android phones and iPhones: watch out when you’re using AI (artificial intelligence) on your devices. This means that the smart features on your phone, like predictive text or voice assistants, are getting a lot smarter thanks to AI.
But here’s the catch: using these AI features can be risky for your privacy and security.
“Please don’t enter confidential information in your conversations or any data you wouldn’t want a reviewer to see or Google to use to improve our products, services, and machine-learning technologies,” Google warns.
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“Google collects your Gemini Apps conversations, related product usage information, info about your location, and your feedback.” It says the information is used to “improve, and develop Google products and services and machine learning technologies.”
Even though we’re careful about which apps we use and what permissions we give them, we tend to forget about the risks when it comes to AI chatbots. These chatbots can seem friendly, like chatting with a helpful friend, but they’re actually part of a big system that collects data for advertising and other purposes.
Google is now warning everyone to be cautious when using these AI features. They say not to share any private information or data that you wouldn’t want Google to see or use. While Google promises not to use your chats for showing ads, there’s still a risk that your personal info could be stored and possibly leaked.
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Google keeps your chat data for a while, up to 18 months by default, and it might include things like your location. You can change these settings if you want, but the basic problem remains: sharing too much with AI could lead to privacy issues.
Other companies like Apple try to keep AI processing on your device to protect your privacy, but Google does a lot of its AI work in the cloud, which brings its own concerns.
As we use more AI features on our phones, it’s important to be aware of the risks and take steps to keep our personal information safe.
