Google Gemini AI feature can read your financial documents. Time to check your settings!

Perplexity:

Yes, Gmail uses AI to read and analyze attachments, primarily to detect malicious content and enhance security. Google's AI, including its Gemini model, scans hundreds of billions of attachments weekly for malware and phishing threats with high accuracy, making the email environment safer for users. Additionally, starting in late 2025, Gmail's AI also analyzes email content and attachments to personalize advertising and provide AI-powered features like email summarization, smart replies, and better search within the inbox. This analysis is automated and no humans read the emails directly, but it involves detailed scanning of attachments and message content. Users can disable some of these AI-based personalization features in Gmail settings if they want to limit this AI processing.

Furthermore, Google's Gemini AI tool can access Gmail emails and attachments, and it uses this context to improve the quality of its AI responses and services across Google apps. This integration is part of Google's broader strategy to leverage AI in improving user experience but raises privacy considerations as AI features gain deep access to email content and attachments.

In summary, yes, Gmail does use AI to read attachments—for security scanning, feature enhancement, and personalized advertising—with options for users to restrict some of this processing through Gmail settings