Ability to disable Gemini Features for Customers on Business SKU

[brian_kim]

While some may welcome the changes that Google made to include Gemini features with Workspace licensing, many organizations want to control how the features are rolled out.

It seems like Google made a grave error and not provided the ability to control Gemini features in Workspace apps for customers on Business SKUs, and many are understandably upset.

https://support.google.com/a/answer/15698295

Please consider providing this to ALL customers regardless of SKU that they are on.

If I go to the below page in Admin Console as a Super Admin (Business SKU), I get an error message. 

https://admin.google.com/ac/managedsettings/793154499678/WS_GEMINI_APP_LEVEL_CONTROLS

Google does provide control for Rapid vs. Scheduled, and whether new services are on by default, but for these AI features, that does not seem to be the case.

https://support.google.com/a/answer/172177?hl=en
https://support.google.com/a/answer/82691?hl=en

[robby]

We have several customers on the business plan that are also asking this.  This is pretty urgent for them.

[rjan]

Co-signing this. I've no doubt the value in these new tools, but as an admin for a branding/design agency, our org has a unique sensitivity to AI tools. Not only that, not allowing admins time to test, learn and build education and training for our users and our specific use cases is a pretty huge misstep. I would greatly appreciate the ability to at least slow roll this out to our users rather than fielding question after question about these new tools without even spending more than a few hours with them myself.

[suitebriar_rayd]

Admins and end users have the following options to control AI settings:

• You can turn access to the Gemini app on or off.
• You can turn off NotebookLM on or off as an additional service.
• You can turn access to Google Vids on or off.
• You can control whether users let Google AI take notes in meetings.
• You can turn Google Workspace smart features on or off.
• Users can control smart features in Google products.

Your existing Google Workspace data protections are automatically applied to AI features

[suitebriar_rayd]

Scroll down to "Can I control access to these features?"

https://apps.google.com/supportwidget/articlehome?article_url=https%3A%2F%2Fsupport.google.com%2Fa%2...

[brian_kim]

looks like opening a support ticket makes the setting accessible. 
https://www.reddit.com/r/gsuite/comments/1i3lo46/how_to_turn_off_gemini_for_workspace_the_real_deal/

[jp_dusty]

This worked for me. We have a Business Standard account. 

[nabeelr]

Unfortunately, if you're on a legacy plan without support, you have no resolution, even if you're willing to pay for support, because paid support isn't even an option on legacy plans.

[rjan]

Support was able to toggle this on for our Business Plus instance. Thanks!

[robby]

+1 on this working.  We were able to get this changed for all of our customers who were asking to disable these.  Thanks for bringing this up and helping find a solution, Brian!

[evil1]

Yeah, this is ridiculous. In my case, using my data to train their stupid AI would violate ITAR regulations and other data privacy regulations - I am not currently accredited but it was something I was working on, so now I absolutely will not use workspace for any of that. Ridiculous.

[KAM]

@evil1 you won't have compliance issues i.e. ITAR related to Gemini with a licensed instance.  The data is not viewed by humans, not used in training, etc. per the T&C just like data in Google Workspace.  DM me if you need more info or help as compliance stuff like this is what I do for my $dayjob -KAM

[cwhess]

Echoing the sentiment that this is ridiculous, having to contact support to make the _option to opt out visible_ is insane. 

[suitebriar_rayd]

You do not need to contact Google. Follow these instructions, please:

https://support.google.com/a/answer/14571493?hl=en&co=DASHER._Family%3DBusiness-Enterprise#:~:text=L....


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[jp_dusty]

Hopefully that is true now. It was not true for many customers for most of last week.

[rjan]

That's for the Gemini app, not the specific Gemini for Workspace features within Gmail, Drive, Meet and Chat. The toggle to disable these is only available with Enterprise tiers and Business tier customers will in fact need to reach out to support in order to have those options available for their domain.

[Cutover]

Forcing a widely unwanted feature on the userbase is a serious error in judgement, and one that reflects very poorly on Google.

Many customers, including us, have specific, legitimate, and often contractual reasons for not wanting to deploy AI widely across the company. We now have no way to disable this forced feature dump short of spending large sums of money, just to get one feature - the ability to turn off a feature. I contacted Google Support and was told that this, effectively, is the case.

Google's managers should fix this problem immediately, as this is generating unnecessary ill-will.

[StephenHind]

Unfortunately Microsoft has just done the same - it looks like it's becoming an "industry standard".

[MehakFatima24]

We need to URGENTLY turn the gemini AI off since it is interfering with our extensions and day-to day operations. I have turned it off from the google admin center. But it still appears in gmail.