Google is making Gemini smarter behind the wheel by connecting it to Gmail, Photos, and Maps

Google wants Gemini to do more than play music or give directions while you are driving. Google is rolling out Personal Intelligence to Gemini on Android Auto starting today. Cars running Google built-in will get it in the coming months. With your permission, this feature lets Gemini pull from your Gmail, Calendar, Photos, Maps, YouTube, and Search to give you tailored answers.

What can Gemini do with your apps while you’re driving?

Next time you are driving to the airport and have no idea which gate you’re headed to, you won’t have to pull over to dig through your emails. You can just ask Gemini for your flight gate and whether it’s on time, and it’ll grab that info straight from Gmail.

Want directions for some place without typing an address? Just say “take me to my doctor’s appointment,” and Gemini figures out the rest. You can even ask it to find a place from a photo you snapped last week and navigate there automatically.

If you’re hunting for dinner along your route, Gemini can factor in dietary restrictions or preferences it’s picked up from your past searches and emails, making recommendations a lot more personalized.

Is Personal Intelligence optional, and when can you use it?

Personal Intelligence is optional, so you’ll need to enable it yourself and choose which apps Gemini can access. If you change your mind later, you can turn it off anytime in settings. In case you choose not to give Gemini the required permissions, everything still works fine; you’ll just get general answers instead of tailored ones.

If you’ve enabled it in the Gemini app, it carries over into the car. In cars with Google built-in, personalized responses are available only when your phone is connected. Google says personal context stays in its secure infrastructure and isn’t used to train foundational AI models.

The rollout of Gemini’s Personal Intelligence excludes the European Economic Area, Switzerland, the UK, and Nigeria for now, and is limited to personal accounts for users 18 and older.

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