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A hot potato: In a move that makes you wonder if Google paid any attention at all to Microsoft’s Recall controversy, the company has announced an update to the Gemini 2.0 model that includes the ability to browse your Search history to offer more personalized responses.
Google’s experimental Gemini 2.0 Flash Thinking model allows Gemini to connect with various apps and services, including Search. The idea is that it will be able to give a much more personalized, tailored response to user queries based on what you looked at online.
Google gave examples of the kinds of questions where this personalization feature would be helpful: Where to go on holiday this summer, content ideas for a YouTube channel, and suggestions for a new hobby or job.
By looking at a user’s Search history, Gemini was able to answer the vacation question with, “Considering your recent searches for places like Hawaii and the Maldives, you seem to enjoy tropical destinations. You also looked into family-friendly trips to Chicago, Seattle, and Kyoto, suggesting an interest in city and international travel with your family. Your searches for Yosemite and Antelope Canyon point towards an appreciation for nature and unique landscapes.”
There are obviously going to be plenty of privacy concerns over this feature – nobody wants Gemini to suggest therapy as a new hobby based on their Search history.
Google says Gemini will ask for permission before connecting to your Search history or any other apps. Gemini also displays a banner with a link to easily disconnect your Search history. Furthermore, Gemini will only use this feature when you select the AI model with personalization, give it permission to connect to Search, and you have Web & App Activity turned on.
However, even the fact that users have to opt in to this feature is unlikely to make people less hostile towards it.
Elsewhere, Google says it is rolling out Gems, custom chatbots that allow users to create their own AI expert on any topic, for everyone at no cost in the Gemini app. DeepResearch, which creates detailed reports on queries, is also being made free to use for everyone.
Google’s browser history search feature brings to mind Microsoft Recall, though it’s not as invasive, admittedly. Recall, you might remember, was blasted by pretty much everybody for taking screenshots of the Windows desktop every few seconds, using the on-device large language model to scan, store, and process information. Microsoft said there was a filter that stopped Recall capturing sensitive information, but it didn’t really work. The fact that users were initially required to have it enabled by default made a bad situation worse.
Microsoft postponed the rollout of Recall, and it remains in preview to Copilot+ PCs through the Windows Insider Program.
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