The hidden cost of Google's AI defaults and the illusion of choice

Companies generally won’t admit to designing an interface to manipulate users, but the intent doesn’t determine whether a UI design is a dark pattern. “It doesn’t matter whether it’s intentional or not,” said Marie Potel of Fair Patterns, a startup building AI models that detect dark patterns and predatory design. “What matters is whether the autonomy—the agency—of users is respected and whether the design goes against what users want to do.” If the only way to opt out of AI training is to permanently disable your chat history, that arrangement doesn’t seem to respect the user’s agency—it’s a forced action. Even finding the right menu to opt out of training can be a chore. There’s a link hiding in the Gemini app settings, but it’s labeled only as “Activity,” and there are also direct links if you search through Google’s support articles. Interestingly, the Gemini controls are absent from Google’s account privacy settings, where you’d expect to find them. A company representative said there should be a link in the Activity Controls , along with submenus for Android, Maps, Search, Assistant, and more. After checking multiple accounts, we have yet to see a link to the Gemini privacy menu. Two different Google accounts, no links to Gemini’s privacy menu. Credit: Ryan Whitwam Two different Google accounts, no links to Gemini’s privacy menu. …