Google Updates Search Services Privacy Settings with Opt-Out Option for AI Training Data

Google is expanding the data, including images, files and audio recordings, it collects through its search services, which can also be used to train its artificial intelligence models, Euronews reported. The tech giant says it is gradually updating settings for Google Search services, which include Search, Maps, Shopping, Flights, Hotels, Translate and News, over the next few months.

Google Photos is explicitly excluded from this policy.

The change was introduced as an update to Google’s Search services privacy settings, which the company says users can opt out of. The platform can now save data, including users’ search history, information from sites they visited through its services and generative AI responses.

“Google also uses your history to provide, develop, and improve its services (such as training generative AI models) and to protect Google, its users, and the public with the help of human reviewers,” the company wrote in its help documentation.

Users can disable “Search Services History” or “Save Media” separately in the settings. The Save Media setting covers files and media uploaded through Google Search services, including images, audio and video recordings. Users can also choose how often saved data is automatically deleted, with options to remove it after three, 18 or 36 months.

In terms of its competitors in the AI universe, OpenAI’s help document notes that data sharing is enabled by default for consumer accounts, but users can opt out, while Anthropic has an opt-in ask which allows Claude to access users’ chats and coding sessions to improve its systems unless users disable the setting.