Gemini caught browsing personal documents without permission

An AI expert at X (formerly Twitter) noted that Gemini has been accused of scanning PDF files stored in Google Drive without users’ permission. The AI-powered virtual assistant will automatically summarize documents even when the feature is disabled.

The erratic behavior was detected while the expert known as Kevin Bankston (@KevinBankston on X) was editing a personal document in Google Docs. Without prompting, he states: Gemini has already submitted a fully prepared summary version of the dossier.

But the file in question was personal, and Bankston didn’t intend to trigger Google’s AI. Google model analyzed and processed the file without user consent.

I just filed my tax return @Google Docs – and Gemini summed it up without me inviting you. So…Gemini even automatically grabs private documents I open in Google Docs? Wow, guys. I didn’t ask for this. Now I have to go find new settings that I was never told to turn off this nonsense.

— Kevin Bankston (@KevinBankston) July 10, 2024

“I just accessed my income statement in Google Docs and Gemini automatically summarized it. So does Gemini automatically pull even private documents when I open them in Google Docs?” Bankston asked on the post.

In the original title, expert explains the whole process to try to find the option to disable the feature – and even Gemini did not show the right path. He found the function setting “Summarize documents” but realized that it was already disabled.

After in-depth review, Bankston noticed that the error started occurring after he clicked the Gemini button on at least one documentso AI is triggered in Google Docs. After that, every file with the same format will trigger Google model resources.

Another theory put forward by the user is participation in Workspace Labs. Bankston discovered that he had been registered as a tester since 2023, and that this participation probably coincides with the normal settings of the assistant.

What’s wrong with automatic summary?

Making document summaries, Gemini needs to “digest” them. The process involves taking the document, sending it to Google’s servers, and then sending back a canned response as if it were a text command.

But this automatic behavior not interesting for personal documentsBecause it may contain sensitive information that the user may not want to share with the AI.

The fact that the option to deactivate the function is not accessible also reinforces a problem: the user who does not want the function to be activated will have difficulty figuring out how to turn it off.

So far, Google has not commented on the matter, so it’s not possible to say whether the AI ​​is actually snooping on personal documents without being triggered by users, or whether this is a mistake on Bankston’s part.