TLDR
Google reversed a March 2026 promise by testing ads in AI Mode for users who connect Gmail or Google Photos through Personal Intelligence. Inferences drawn from those apps may now personalise both AI responses and ads shown, though raw inbox or photo data is never passed to advertisers. No markets have been named in the test, leaving Australian advertisers and users without confirmation of whether they are included.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
What Google said in March and what its help page says now
In March 2026, a Google spokesperson told Search Engine Land that Personal Intelligence, the opt-in feature letting users connect Gmail and Google Photos to AI Mode in Search, would stay ad-free. "There are currently no ads for people who choose to connect their apps with AI Mode. That isn't changing right now."[1] That position held for roughly seven months.
Google's Search Help page now says something different. "If you connect your content apps to Search Services, Search may reference summaries, excerpts and inferences from these sources to personalize your experience and do things for you. That same info may be used to show you ads, so they are even more helpful for you."[2] The earlier version of the page, archived on 11 October, didn't carry that line.[1]
How the targeting works
Google does not pass raw email or photo data to advertisers. What travels from the connected apps to the ad system is inferred: summaries and behavioural signals drawn from what a user's inbox or photo library contains.[2] The data origin is still a person's private communications.
Google's help page lists several guardrails. "Ads will not be based directly on your Gmail inbox or your Google Photos library,"[2] the page states, and sensitive personal categories including race, religion, sexual orientation and health are excluded from ad personalisation. Connecting apps is optional and restricted to users aged 18 and over.
| Question | What Google says |
|---|---|
| Ads in AI Mode for connected users | Being tested now (March: none) |
| Raw Gmail or Photos content used for ads | No |
| Summaries and inferences used for ads | May be |
| Advertisers see connected data | No |
| Sensitive categories (race, religion, sexual orientation, health) | Not used for personalised ads |
| Who can connect apps | Users 18 and over; optional |
| Markets in the ad test | Not stated |
| New advertiser controls | None announced |
Source: Google Search Help; Google statements to Search Engine Land, March and October 2026.
What Google has and hasn't said
Google confirmed the test to Search Engine Land on 16 October, saying it is "starting to test ads in AI Mode in Search for users who connect their apps through Personal Intelligence".[3] It has not announced new advertiser controls, targeting options or a wider rollout, and it has not said how big the test is.[3]
None of this should surprise anyone who read the March statement to the end. The same spokesperson added: "In the future, we anticipate that ads will operate similarly for people who choose to connect their apps with AI Mode. Ads will continue to be relevant to things like your query, the context of the response and your interests."[1] Seven months later, that future has a start date.
Australian read
Australians can already do the thing that triggers these ads. Google's help page lists Australia among the Asia-Pacific countries where people can connect their Google content apps to Search, and Ask Maps personalisation is offered in English in Australia, alongside the US, Canada and India.[2] What Google hasn't said is which markets the ad test covers, so an Australian who has connected Gmail may or may not be seeing these ads today.
For Australian search marketers, the practical gap is visibility. Google has announced no new controls, so an advertiser running in AI Mode has no stated way to tell whether a placement was chosen with help from inferences drawn from someone's inbox or photo library, or to opt in or out of that signal.[3] For brands that sell into categories where trust matters, from travel to financial services, that is worth raising with a Google rep before budgets for the new year are set.
SOURCES & CITATIONS
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What is Personal Intelligence in Google AI Mode?
Will Google pass my Gmail data to advertisers?
Are Australian users included in this test?
Can Australians connect Gmail and Photos to AI Mode?
James Dore is founder and editor of Prompt the Market and Strategy Director at Bushnote, a Sydney strategy, SEO and AI search agency. He has a background in strategy, media and financial services, and led consumer product marketing at MONEYME. He writes on AI search, answer engines, technology policy and media economics.
