In this guide · 7 sections
Short answer
On a work Workspace account, Google says Gemini prompts are not used for training or human-reviewed without permission and stay in your organisation. The consumer Gemini app on a personal account differs: people may review some chats. Admins can switch features off and set retention.
What Google says it does with Workspace data in Gemini
Google's Generative AI in Google Workspace Privacy Hub (last updated 6 October 2026) covers Gemini in Gmail, Docs, Drive and Meet, the Gemini app and Gemini Notebook (formerly NotebookLM), when used with a qualifying Workspace edition. Its key commitments:
- Your interactions with Gemini stay within your organisation, and Gemini does not share your content outside it without permission.
- Content is not human-reviewed or used for generative AI model training outside your domain without permission. Google points to the 'Training Restriction' in the Workspace Service Specific Terms and treats prompts as customer data under the Cloud Data Processing Addendum.
- Existing Workspace protections, such as data region policies and Data Loss Prevention, apply automatically.
- Gemini accesses customer data to give personalised responses, such as summarising a Doc, but follows your existing access controls.
Google's Gemini in Workspace FAQ repeats that for licensed users, submissions are not used to train models and are never reviewed by humans.
Workspace Gemini vs the consumer Gemini app
The difference that matters most is which account staff are signed into. The Gemini Apps Privacy Hub for personal accounts says human reviewers, including trained reviewers from service providers, review some of the data collected, and asks people not to enter confidential information. Chats reviewed by humans are kept for up to three years even if the user deletes their activity.
Gemini with a work Workspace account
For business data- Prompts not used to train models outside your domain without permission
- Not reviewed by humans without permission
- Covered by your Workspace agreement and data processing terms
- Admins control access and retention
Best for: Any work involving customer, staff or company information.
Gemini with a personal Google account
Consumer terms- Some chats may be reviewed by human reviewers
- Reviewed chats kept up to three years
- Activity settings control use to improve Google AI
- No company admin control
Best for: Personal use only, not client or staff data.
How long Gemini keeps prompts and responses
Retention depends on which Gemini product is used. From Google's Privacy Hub retention table:
| Product | What is kept | Retention |
|---|---|---|
| Gemini in Workspace (side panel in Gmail, Docs etc.) | Prompts and responses | 90 days to indefinite, set by admins; users can delete unless admins prohibit it |
| Gemini in Workspace | Content inserted into Docs, Gmail etc. | Like other Workspace data; manage with Vault |
| Gemini app (gemini.google.com) | Prompts and responses | Up to 36 months, set by admins; history can be turned off |
| Gemini Notebook | Prompts and responses | Not kept after the session ends |
| Gemini Notebook | Uploaded files and notebooks | Until deleted by the user |
When Gemini app history is turned off, Google says new chats are still saved for up to 72 hours to provide the service and process feedback. Side-panel history is per app and visible only to the user, even in shared files.
Admin controls: turning Gemini on or off
Google says the Gemini app is a core Workspace service turned on by default, and admins can disable it. For supported editions, admins can also enable or disable Gemini features and the side panel in Gmail, Drive, Docs, Meet and Chat, and set the default 'smart features' settings that control personalisation.
Decide who should have Gemini
You may want it on for most staff but off for a team handling especially sensitive data, such as HR or a clinic front desk.
Use organisational units or groups
Apply the on or off settings to an organisational unit or group rather than the whole company if needs differ.
Set conversation retention
Choose how long Gemini app and side-panel history is kept, and whether users can delete conversations.
Review Gemini Notebook
Google says Drive files uploaded to Gemini Notebook are copied, and your file sharing and data region settings do not apply to that copy. Decide whether to allow it for everyone.
Check connected apps
Users can connect the Workspace app inside Gemini. Make sure staff understand that Gemini can then search their mail and files.
Gemini respects existing permissions, so a file shared with 'Anyone in the company' is visible to Gemini for anyone in the company. Our Google Workspace security checklist covers tightening Drive sharing first.
Feedback and other things staff should know
Feedback is a small detail with a real data angle. Google says that when a user submits feedback on Gemini in Workspace, it can include the prompt, the source documents or emails and the output, if the share checkboxes stay ticked. Feedback is used to improve Google's services, not to train the Workspace models, and may be kept for up to 18 months.
- Do not tick 'share prompt and output' in feedback if it contains client or staff data.
- Check Gemini's drafts before sending; it can be wrong or miss context.
- Treat Gemini summaries of contracts, medical notes or financial data as a starting point, not a final answer.
- Personal data rules under the PDPA still apply to anything Gemini helps produce.
For a written policy, our guide to an AI-at-work policy under the PDPA gives a template, and PDPC's position is summarised in our guide to the PDPC generative AI guidelines.
Do it yourself or get help?
Turning Gemini features on or off and setting retention takes an admin a few minutes. The bigger job is making sure Gemini cannot surface files that were overshared years ago, and that staff use work accounts, not personal ones.
Our Microsoft 365 / Google Security Lockdown (S$590) sets external sharing rules, enforces 2-Step Verification, blocks risky apps and cleans up admin roles, which is the groundwork for using Gemini safely. Comparing assistants? See Copilot vs Gemini for small businesses.
Frequently asked questions
Not for Google Workspace business customers, according to Google. Its Workspace Privacy Hub says Workspace does not use customer data, including prompts, to train models without prior permission, and that content is not human-reviewed or used for training outside your domain. This commitment is in the Training Restriction section of the Workspace Service Specific Terms.
Yes. Google says admins can disable the Gemini app, which is on by default as a core service, and on supported editions can enable or disable Gemini features and the side panel in Gmail, Drive, Docs, Meet and Chat. You can apply these settings to the whole organisation or to specific organisational units or groups.
Not for business data on a personal account. Google's consumer Gemini privacy notice says human reviewers may read some chats and asks users not to enter confidential information. Reviewed chats are kept for up to three years. Use Gemini while signed in to your work Google Workspace account, where Workspace data protection terms apply.
No. Gemini follows your existing Workspace access controls, so it only uses content the user can already open. The risk is files that are shared too widely, such as anyone-with-the-link or company-wide sharing on HR or payroll folders. Tighten Drive sharing before wide rollout so Gemini cannot surface them.
It depends on the product and your admin settings. Google's Privacy Hub says Gemini in Workspace side-panel history can be kept from 90 days to indefinitely, and Gemini app conversations up to 36 months, as set by admins. Gemini Notebook does not keep prompts and responses after the session ends.