For anyone interested. If you are not interested/don’t care about AI and privacy, please feel free to close the thread.
www.malwarebytes.com
This is a problem for several reasons. Firstly of course is the privacy concern of your private emails being PRIVATE and not for Google to be reading. Though it's possible they did this anyway, but at least the data was held securely.
The main issue is that if private data is used to train an LLM, that LLM is privy to any private data you have within your emails. Name, address, bank balance, emails from solicitors or your bank or family. As that information is absorbed by the LLM, it therefore technically becomes accessible to anyone who is able to 'trick' the LLM into sharing it. Google will of course put various code-based safeguards in place to try and stop its LLM from disclosing any private data, but this relies on 1) Them knowing what data is or isn't 'private', and 2) malicious parties work out how to bypass/trick the LLM into ignoring these safeguards (this happens all the time)
Turning this feature 'off' will disable 'categories' and a few other things, because Google has tied useful features to 'smart' features to try and get people not to turn off their ability to train LLMs with your data. Deliberate enshittfication (this is a word in the dictionary and not a swear).
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Here is how to disable it:
1. Click the cog in the top right of the screen
2. Click 'See all settings'
3. Untick the box that enables 'smart features'
4. Go to the bottom of the page and click 'Save'
[Correction] Gmail can read your emails and attachments to power "smart features"
Did you know that Gmail can use your emails and attachments for its smart features? Here's how to check your settings.
www.malwarebytes.com
This is a problem for several reasons. Firstly of course is the privacy concern of your private emails being PRIVATE and not for Google to be reading. Though it's possible they did this anyway, but at least the data was held securely.
The main issue is that if private data is used to train an LLM, that LLM is privy to any private data you have within your emails. Name, address, bank balance, emails from solicitors or your bank or family. As that information is absorbed by the LLM, it therefore technically becomes accessible to anyone who is able to 'trick' the LLM into sharing it. Google will of course put various code-based safeguards in place to try and stop its LLM from disclosing any private data, but this relies on 1) Them knowing what data is or isn't 'private', and 2) malicious parties work out how to bypass/trick the LLM into ignoring these safeguards (this happens all the time)
Turning this feature 'off' will disable 'categories' and a few other things, because Google has tied useful features to 'smart' features to try and get people not to turn off their ability to train LLMs with your data. Deliberate enshittfication (this is a word in the dictionary and not a swear).
------
Here is how to disable it:
1. Click the cog in the top right of the screen
2. Click 'See all settings'
3. Untick the box that enables 'smart features'
4. Go to the bottom of the page and click 'Save'
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