Big banks are blocking AI helpers from your account. Here's why

Happy Saturday! This week, America’s biggest banks pushed back on AI helpers that log in to your account for you, and Google quietly changed its privacy rules. Here’s what it means for you, in five minutes.

In today’s 5 minutes

• Big banks are blocking AI helpers that log in to your account. Don’t hand an AI your bank password.
• Google may now use your Gmail and Photos to pick your ads, but only if you connect them to its AI. Here’s the setting.
• Fitbit and Pixel Watch now spot 100 kinds of workouts on their own, and Meta’s cheapest AI glasses go on sale at $249.

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The big one: Big banks are blocking AI helpers from your bank account

More people are trying AI agents: apps that don’t just answer questions but actually do things for you, like paying bills or shopping. To do that, some people have been giving these apps their bank username and password. The banks are not happy about it.

Here’s what was reported on Thursday and Friday:

• Banks are seeing AI helpers inside customer accounts. Axios reports that major U.S. banks have spotted outside AI agents working in customer accounts, mostly because customers shared their logins. In some cases, the agents seemed to act on their own, like contacting a bank’s call center without being asked.
• Many big banks are now blocking them. Axios reports Morgan Stanley has begun blocking outside AI agents, and JPMorgan, Bank of America and Citi are restricting them. Wells Fargo told USA TODAY it has “taken steps to block unauthorized agents.”
• Citi is clear about it. “We do not permit third-party AI agents or assistants to log into a customer’s account or transact directly within our digital banking platforms,” a Citi spokesperson told USA TODAY.
• Read-only is the safer middle ground. Most banks allow, or are moving toward, “read-only” access. That lets an app see your balances and transactions without being able to move money, like budgeting apps already do.
• Read the fine print. USA TODAY reports that Wells Fargo’s updated online access agreement, which takes effect November 24, says you’re “solely responsible” for supervising AI agents you let in, and that their transactions count as authorized, “including those you did not want or intend.”

The good news: banks told Axios they haven’t seen a hack or rogue AI activity affecting customer money. And a JPMorgan spokesperson put it simply to Axios: “Under no circumstance should customers share passwords with any person or thing. Period.”

What it means for you: never give an AI app your bank username or password, however helpful it sounds. If you want an app to help with budgeting, look for a “read-only” connection your bank approves. If an AI does something with your login that you didn’t want, your bank may treat it as if you did it yourself.

Sources: Axios, “Scoop: Unvetted AI agents are accessing U.S. bank accounts” · USA TODAY, “Banks move to restrict AI agent access” · Axios, “Wall Street prepares AI’s ‘day after’”

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Google may use your Gmail and Photos for ads, if you connect them to its AI

Yesterday we told you about Personal Intelligence, Google’s optional setting that lets its AI look at your other Google apps to give more personal answers. Now there’s fine print to know about.

Google’s privacy policy used to say, simply, that it doesn’t show you personalized ads based on your content from Drive, Gmail or Google Photos. The new version, in effect since October 16, adds: “unless you choose to make data from these services available to other Google services that support personalized ads.” The Verge and 9to5Google report this applies if you’ve connected Gmail, Photos or Drive to Google Search’s AI features through Personal Intelligence.

Google’s policy says it doesn’t share information that identifies you, like your name or email, with advertisers unless you ask it to, and doesn’t show personalized ads based on sensitive topics like race, religion, sexual orientation or health.

What it means for you: if you never turned on Personal Intelligence, nothing changes. If you did, decide whether better AI answers are worth more personal ads. To check, go to your Google Account, then Data & privacy, then Personalization settings, and choose Manage Personalized Recommendations in Search services. You can disconnect apps there, or turn it off.

Sources: Google Privacy Policy · The Verge, “Now Google says it might use your Gmail and Google Photos data to target ads” · 9to5Google, “Google will target ads based on Gmail, Photos data if Personal Intelligence is enabled”

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Your Fitbit or Pixel Watch now spots 100 kinds of workouts on its own

Forgot to press “start” before your workout? An update to the Google Health app (version 5.11) lets the Fitbit Air and Pixel Watch 3, 4 and 5 recognize up to 100 types of activity automatically, up from 10. That includes strength training, swimming, racket sports and team sports.

Google says it now uses more clues, like your usual workout routine, your history and any edits you make, to get it right. Google claims detections are nearly twice as accurate, with less than half as many missed workouts. Workouts with a raised heart rate that last at least your minimum time (15 minutes by default) are logged on their own, and a summary usually shows up in the app within 30 minutes. The new Fitbit Edge gets it when it launches on October 27.

What it means for you: less fiddling with your watch, and fewer forgotten workouts. When it logs something, take a second to confirm or fix it. Google says that teaches it your habits. The update is out on iPhone now and still rolling out on Android.

Source: 9to5Google, “Google Health 5.11 rolling out”

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Quick hit: Meta’s cheapest AI glasses go on sale at $249

Meta’s new Meta Adventurer glasses, with a black frame and grey lenses, went on sale Friday, starting at $249 in the U.S. Meta calls them its most affordable Meta Glasses yet. Meta says its AI glasses can do things like check sports scores, suggest local restaurants and translate a live conversation, hands-free.

What it means for you: if you’ve been curious about AI glasses as a holiday gift, the price just dropped. One trade-off: this $249 pair comes with a plug-in case, while Meta’s $299 styles come with a charging case that tops up the battery on the go.

Sources: Meta, “Introducing Ray-Ban Meta Audio and Our Deepest Lineup of AI Glasses Yet” · Mixed, “Meta’s cheapest AI glasses are a $249 Meta Adventurer”

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Copy this prompt

Scammers can now copy a person’s voice with AI. Just this week, a Florida sheriff’s office warned that scammers cloned a real captain’s voice to demand money. A family code word is a simple defense. Paste this into any free chatbot, like ChatGPT, Gemini or Claude:

Scammers can now copy a family member’s voice with AI. Help me set up a simple family code word plan. First, ask me how many people are in my family and who is most likely to get a scam call, like grandparents or teens. Then give me: 1) tips for choosing a code word that’s easy to remember but hard to guess, 2) a short script for what to say if someone calls in a panic asking for money, and 3) a friendly text I can send my family to explain the plan. Use plain English and keep it calm.

Tip: don’t type your actual code word into the chatbot. Pick it together, in person or on a call.

Source: FOX 35 Orlando, “AI scammers clone deputies’ voices to demand money from Osceola County residents, sheriff says”

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One free tool to try: Seeing AI

Know someone whose eyesight makes small print a struggle? Seeing AI is a free app from Microsoft, designed with and for blind and low-vision people. Point your phone’s camera at a letter, a menu or a label and it reads the words out loud. It can also describe a photo, scan a barcode to name a product, and recognize paper money. You can even ask it questions about a page, like how much one item cost on a receipt.

Get Seeing AI

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Jargon buster

Read-only access: a connection that lets an app look at your account, like your balance and transactions, without being able to move money or make changes.

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That’s your five minutes. Enjoy your weekend!

The Five-Minute AI [email protected]

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