AI news story

How to Disable Gemini in Gmail and Google Docs

New AI toolbars and prompts are showing up in Google Docs and Gmail. If you don’t want Gemini’s help in writing documents and emails, here’s how to turn that stuff off.

  • LLMs
  • Source: WIRED
  • Published: 2026-08-08
  • Signal score: 4
  • 50 sources

Editor's take

Google is now offering users the option to opt out of its Gemini AI assistance features within Gmail and Google Docs. This move acknowledges user control and potential concerns about AI integration, providing a direct mechanism for individuals to disable these generative text capabilities.

This development is significant as it reflects a maturing approach to AI deployment, balancing innovation with user preference. For Google, it’s a test of how pervasive AI should be by default, impacting how users interact with their core productivity suite. The broader AI landscape is watching to see if this opt-out model becomes a standard for other AI-powered tools.

Future developments to monitor include whether Google makes this opt-out more prominent or defaults to an opt-in model for future AI features. The adoption rate of Gemini's assistance features, even with the opt-out available, will also be telling. A low opt-out rate might signal user comfort, while a high one could prompt a strategic rethink.

Signal score: 4

This event was corroborated by 50 independent sources. The signal score weighs cross-source corroboration, recency, source weight and topic salience. How we rank stories.

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