"I also want to talk about Gmail and security. For years, I ran my own email servers. In fact, way back in the day, when cc:Mail was a thing, an email "server" was really a cluster of machines. I had a full cluster on a rack in my office. Eventually, I moved off physical hardware to the cloud. I've been happily letting Google worry about server management for quite some time."
"I long ago accepted the fact that Google would, technically, have access to all my email. It's certainly possible the company might mine that data for some nefarious purpose. It's also clear that Google's security practices are far better than anything I'd ever be able to set up on my own servers. While there's always some concern over the possibility of a breach, I have no problem using Google's infrastructure to manage my email. I protect my account with multifactor authentication and passkeys."
"The fact is this: I don't use Gemini in Gmail not because I don't trust Gemini. I don't use Gemini in Gmail because it's just not yet particularly useful. In fact, as far back as 2023, I outlined ways AI could help Gmail manage my inbox. AI has come a long way since 2023. I now want even more. But, at least from my perspective, Google's AI features for Gmail are just too weak and not ready for prime time."
Users have varied email habits tied to relationships, work, mail flow, and goals. The author accepted Google's access to email and favors Google's superior security over self-hosting, while using multifactor authentication and passkeys. Gemini in Gmail is avoided not for trust reasons but because the integration currently lacks practical usefulness. Google’s AI features for Gmail remain limited and insufficient for power-user needs. AI overviews often omit crucial context that experienced users require. The most significant shortcoming in Gmail is smarter message flow control to better organize and manage diverse inbox workflows.
Read at ZDNET
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