Google can now use uploaded Search media to train AI models

Google has quietly changed how some user data from its search tools can be stored and used, adding a new privacy concern for anyone who relies on Lens, Translate, voice search or other AI-driven Google features.

The change centers on Search Services History, a Google Account setting that manages activity across Search-related products. According to Google’s own support pages, saved media can include material used with AI Mode, Lens, Translate, Search Live, and voice or audio search. When that saved media is used to train Google’s AI models, Google says it is disconnected from the user’s account and may be retained for up to four years.

In practice, that means a photo submitted through Google Lens, an audio clip used for a voice search, or media handled through Translate may become part of Google’s broader AI improvement pipeline, depending on the user’s settings. Google lists Search, Maps, Shopping, Flights, Hotels, Translate and News as part of its Search services ecosystem, though the media-saving explanation specifically highlights tools such as Lens, Translate, Search Live and voice/audio search.

The Verge reports that this new system is separate from the older Web & App Activity control, and that the rollout transfers some existing personalization preferences into the new Search Services History framework. Importantly, users who had already stopped Google from saving this type of activity may not be switched on automatically, but users with saving enabled should review the new setting instead of assuming their old privacy setup still covers everything.

For people who do not want Google saving uploaded media for AI training, the main control is the Save Media option inside Search Services History. Google says this setting can be managed from the user’s Google Account activity controls. Users can also review Search personalization settings separately to limit how search activity is used for recommendations and other personalized features.

The change arrives as major tech companies continue expanding generative AI features across products that were not originally framed as AI training pipelines. Search is no longer just a box for typing keywords; it now includes camera input, voice conversations, translated files and AI-generated responses. That makes the privacy question more practical than theoretical: the data people upload to solve everyday problems can also be valuable training material.

This does not appear to affect personal media stored privately in Google Photos under the Search Services History setting. The current language focuses on media used inside Search-related services, not a blanket permission over all files in a Google account.

For users, the safest move is simple: check the new Search Services History page, review whether Save Media is enabled, and decide whether the convenience of smarter search tools is worth contributing images, audio, video or files to Google’s AI systems.