Google tests AI Mode ads shaped by Gmail and Photos data, with no new advertiser controls

Google is testing ads in AI Mode for searchers who have Personal Intelligence turned on. A privacy policy change that took effect on October 16 now lets content from Gmail, Google Photos and Google Drive play a role in personalised ads once a user connects those apps, Search Engine Journal reports, citing gHacks.

What changed

• The policy still says Google does not personalise ads on Drive, Gmail or Photos content. It now adds an exception: "unless you choose to make data from these services available to other Google services that support personalized ads."

• Personal Intelligence is opt-in. It launched in January 2026 as a Labs experiment in English in the U.S. for Google AI Pro and AI Ultra subscribers on personal accounts.

• When Google expanded the feature in March, it said the experience would stay ad-free for now. The test ends that.

• Google's help page says ads draw on summaries, excerpts and inferences from connected sources. Advertisers get no access to inboxes or photo libraries, and sensitive categories such as race, religion, sexual orientation and health stay excluded.

Nothing new to buy

Advertisers get no new toggle, segment, bid or report. Eligibility follows the existing AI Mode rules: Performance Max, Shopping, and Search campaigns using broad match, including AI Max for Search. Being eligible does not confirm that a campaign has served to Personal Intelligence users. Search term, asset and landing page reports will not show whether Gmail or Photos information contributed.

What it means if your brand is cited

The controls have moved to the searcher. Two people asking AI Mode the same question can get answers and ads shaped by their own inboxes and photo libraries, and neither the cited brand nor the advertiser can see those signals. The paid slot next to your citation is picked on information you cannot audit.

That changes how you should read a single AI Mode result. A test prompt from a clean account is one sample. A connected user with a flight confirmation in Gmail may see a different answer and a different ad. Measure visibility across many prompts and treat any one screenshot as anecdote. If you run eligible campaigns, expect no way to attribute results to this test.

What is still unknown

• When ads for Personal Intelligence users will move beyond testing.

• Whether advertisers will get dedicated reporting or placement controls.

• Whether connected-app signals personalise ads only in AI Mode. The help page answers for "Search Services" as a whole, which Google defines as Search (including AI Mode and Discover), Maps, Shopping, Flights, Hotels, Translate and News.

• How far the March expansion widened the audience. The source does not say.