Google is making its Gemini AI even more personalized. The company announced that a new feature will allow the AI chatbot to incorporate your search history to improve its responses.
In a recent blog post, Google stated that Gemini will analyze your queries and cross-reference them with your previous searches, providing “contextually relevant responses that are adapted to your individual interests.” This move aims to enhance Gemini’s ability to respond to specific questions while gaining a better understanding of each user.
Google stated that it will only use data from your search history if it can genuinely improve the output. Early testers have found that the personalization helps with brainstorming and providing tailored recommendations. Google plans to gather user feedback on how this capability can be applied most effectively.
Some examples provided by Google include using search history to answer questions such as, “Where should I go on vacation this summer?” or, “I want to start a YouTube channel but need content ideas,” potentially offering more customized responses.
This initiative aligns with a trend among tech companies, including OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT, to make AI more intuitive and context-aware, better understanding their users’ preferences.
Powered by the experimental Gemini 2.0 Flash Thinking model, this feature will detail its reasoning process and show which data was drawn from prior searches. Google also mentioned that it will explicitly request permission before connecting to your search history or other applications.
Initially, the feature will be available as an experiment for Gemini and Gemini Advanced subscribers (web-only initially) in over 45 languages, with plans to expand to mobile devices.
Google is also making its Deep Research tool available for free to all Gemini users. Similar to OpenAI’s tool, this feature, announced in December, functions as an AI research assistant, efficiently searching and compiling information from across the web.
Google is pairing its upgraded Deep Research tool with the Gemini 2.0 Flash Thinking model to improve the quality of its reports and offer real-time reasoning while browsing the web.
Jitesh Ubrani, an analyst at IDC, suggested to CNET that this move toward personalization will heighten both excitement and adoption of the technology. However, he also emphasized that these benefits shouldn’t undermine user trust.
“Privacy concerns will certainly arise, so it’s important that Google and other companies offer consumers the right tools to alleviate concerns,” he said. “Most importantly, this should be something that users choose to opt in rather than opt out.”
