theSIGNAL TECHNOLOGY
7 July 2026
"Privacy is not something that I'm merely entitled to, it's an absolute prerequisite."
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Photo: Omar Prestwich / Unsplash
A smartphone screen displays the Google Lens interface, ready to capture and analyse a real-world image.
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Google services now collecting media for AI training
Discuss
  • What is the difference between 'giving users more control' and quietly expanding data collection?
  • Should companies be required to obtain active, explicit consent before using personal media to train AI models?
  • Why might users in countries like Brazil or India face different risks from this kind of data policy than users in Europe?
  • Is there any amount of personalisation benefit that would make you comfortable with a company training AI on your voice recordings?
Technology

Google quietly opted millions into AI media training

A low-profile update to Google's privacy settings means your photos, voice searches, and translations may now be training its AI models unless you act.

Sometime last June, a quiet email landed in millions of Gmail inboxes. The subject concerned Google's Search services privacy settings — the kind of message most people file away unread. Buried inside, however, was a significant shift: Google was informing users that their uploaded media, including photographs, audio recordings, and video files, would now be used to train its artificial intelligence models. Those who did nothing had, in effect, agreed.

The mechanism was subtle. Google introduced two new settings — Search Services History and Personalized Recommendations — which were framed as tools giving users greater control over how their activity is stored and personalised. In practice, the update expanded the scope of data that Google could retain and repurpose. The change applies not only to Google Search itself but also to Maps, Shopping, Translate, Flights, Hotels, and News.

When a user takes a photograph to run a Google Lens query, that image may now be saved.

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Your saved media is also used to develop and improve Google services and technologies, including AI models and safety measures.
Google, official customer communication on Search Services privacy update
Technology

Xbox faces its biggest restructure ever

When Asha Sharma described what is happening at Xbox as "the most significant restructure in Xbox history," she was not exaggerating. Microsoft is cutting 4,800 jobs company-wide — roughly 2.1% of its total workforce — and Xbox is absorbing the largest share, with over 3,200 roles eliminated in total. …
  • Does cutting studios make a gaming company stronger or just safer?
Technology

Microsoft Dismantles Its Gaming Empire

For every dollar Microsoft spent acquiring smaller game studios, it lost 64 cents in a typical year — a figure that Xbox president Muse Sharma has now made public as justification for a sweeping reversal of the company's studio acquisition strategy dating back to 2018. …
  • Does Microsoft's retreat prove that big tech cannot nurture creative studios?
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theSIGNAL IN THE LAB
1VOCABULARY
opted intorepurpose
architecture of consentsweeping reversalspinning off
scrapped fromconsolidating
2GRAMMAR FOCUS
Subjunctive mood — It is essential that he be, I suggest she leave
The subjunctive mood uses the base form of the verb (without 'to' or '-s') after expressions like 'it is essential/vital/recommended that' and 'suggest/demand/insist that'. It applies to all subjects, including third person singular — so we say 'it is vital that she leave', not 'leaves'.
be · retain · disclose · have · receive · conduct · inform
  1. Privacy advocates insist that Google fully transparent about how uploaded photographs and audio recordings are used to train its AI models.
  2. Many legal experts recommend that the company independent audits of its data collection practices before enrolling users by default.
  3. Consumer rights groups demand that Google users clear and prominent notice before any changes to privacy settings take effect.
  4. It is essential that every user the right to opt out of AI media training without losing access to core services like Maps or Translate.
  5. Analysts suggest that Microsoft a clear public statement explaining exactly which studios have been sold and to whom.
  6. It is vital that Mojang and King sufficient creative autonomy even as they report directly to Xbox president Asha Sharma.
  7. Industry observers recommend that Microsoft a thorough review of its remaining studio partnerships before committing to further restructuring.
3IDIOMS
Define each idiom in your own words. Then write one in a sentence of your own.
  1. file away (e.g. 'most people file away unread')
  2. buried inside (e.g. 'buried inside was a significant shift')
  3. in effect (e.g. 'had, in effect, agreed')
  4. under one roof (e.g. 'consolidating titles under one roof')
  5. pulling resources away from (e.g. 'pulling resources away from smaller bets')
  6. smaller bets (e.g. 'away from smaller bets')
4CRITICAL THINKING
Both Google and Microsoft justified major decisions — expanding AI data use and dismantling a studio empire — by framing them as improvements or corrections. To what extent do you think large corporations use the language of transparency and accountability to manage public perception rather than to genuinely inform users and stakeholders?
5CREATIVE · HEADLINES
Write a headline for the Google AI training story in each of the following styles. One line each, no explanation:
  • TABLOID NEWSPAPER
  • LUXURY MAGAZINE
  • ACTIVIST BLOG
6WRITING
Some argue that users who fail to read privacy emails bear responsibility for what companies do with their data. Write a short argument either defending or challenging this view, using evidence from the Google story to support your position.
7DEGREES OF EXTREMITY
Complete each ladder from mild to strong.
  • adjusted→→
  • stored→→
  • noticeable→→
  • informed→→
  • released→→
  • unclear→→
  • reduced→→
8SPEAKING
  1. What does Microsoft's loss figure reveal about acquisition strategies generally?
  2. Which matters more to you: a game's prestige or its popularity?
  3. Should your uploaded photos ever be treated as a company asset?
  4. Can a leaner Xbox still attract the most ambitious game developers?
  5. Who bears the greatest responsibility when consent mechanisms are deliberately obscure?