According to Bloomberg, on January 22 (Eastern Time), Alphabet Inc.’s Google is rolling out a new feature to personalize search results by integrating user data from the tech giant’s other applications. This is Google’s latest move to maintain its lead over competitors like OpenAI.

The new feature, named “Personal Intelligence,” will allow users to customize search results in AI search mode by opting to link data from their Gmail and Google Photos accounts. Google stated that, for example, when a user searches for travel plans, they might receive more relevant suggestions based on hotel reservations found in their emails and photos from previous trips.

“This feature transforms search into a uniquely personal experience by connecting the threads of your data across Google apps,” Robbie Stein, Google’s Vice President of Search Product, said in a blog post.

While Google has long dominated the online search sector, it now faces threats from AI startups such as OpenAI and Perplexity AI, which offer alternative methods for information retrieval. However, Google possesses a unique treasury of personal user information, which helps differentiate its products. Last week, Google announced that its Gemini AI assistant can now proactively access user data across Gmail, Search, Photos, and YouTube.

Currently, the Personal Intelligence feature is only available to users who pay for Google AI Pro and AI Ultra subscription services. The company stated that it will not use information from Gmail or Photos to train its AI models.