Google is leaning heavily into personalization as its next big advantage in AI. Robby Stein, Google Search’s VP of Product, told the Limitless podcast that the company sees an opportunity to make AI uniquely helpful by understanding users better. With AI increasingly integrated into Gmail, Calendar, Drive, and other Google Workspace apps, the system can tailor advice and recommendations based on personal data like emails, documents, and browsing habits.
This deep personalization, Stein explains, is especially valuable for advice-seeking queries. “We think there’s a huge opportunity for our AI to know you better and then be uniquely helpful because of that knowledge,” he said. The AI could learn your preferences, favorite brands, and habits, giving responses that feel specific to you rather than generic lists or broad suggestions.
However, this approach raises privacy concerns. As AI collects more personal information, from location history to document contents, the line between helpful assistant and intrusive surveillance blurs. Avoiding data collection may become difficult as Google makes AI central to its products. Users can control what data is shared through Gemini’s “Connected Apps” settings, but human reviewers may still see some information, highlighting the delicate balance between personalization and privacy.
The company emphasizes transparency in personalization. Stein says Google will clearly indicate when responses are tailored to an individual, and features like push notifications can alert users when products they’ve researched go on sale. The goal is to enhance usefulness without crossing the line into feeling invasive—a challenge Google is aware of as AI becomes more integrated into daily life.
Ultimately, Google’s vision for AI is to create a system that understands your preferences across services, making search and recommendations smarter and more relevant. But as the AI gets “smarter” through personal data, the trade-off between convenience and privacy will define how comfortable users feel with this next era of AI-driven search.
source: Techcrunch