Google announced on 22 October 2026 that Google Vault now supports eDiscovery for AI chat conversations held in Gemini in Workspace, so administrators can filter and export users' chats across Gmail, Drive, Docs, Sheets, Slides and Meet [1]. An export can cover specific accounts or organisational units of up to 5,000 users, and the feature is available now on Rapid and Scheduled Release domains, including Education editions [1].
For schools and teams the point is simple. If people use the assistant inside the office suite, an admin can now search and export what they typed and what came back. The full details are in the announcement [1].
What changed for admins?
Vault adds Gemini in Workspace as a new data source for its compliance tools [1]. Admins start an export from the Search tab in Vault, pick the assistant from the service drop-down, enter filters and export [1]. Google describes Vault as a central tool to govern and export Workspace data for legal and regulatory obligations [1].
What does eDiscovery for AI chat conversations include?
An export can include:
- user prompts
- AI responses
- generated attachments, such as images
- links to referenced Workspace files, such as Drive documents or Gmail threads
- citations
All of this is listed in the announcement [1]. Exports come as JSON through the Vault interface [1]. Support for Vault API users follows within 14 days of the interface rollout [1]. Google says the metadata tags match the conversation format used in the Gemini app [1].
Admins can narrow an export by custodian, meaning specific user accounts or organisational units of up to 5,000 users [1]. They can also set a date range and choose a time zone [1].
Which chats are captured?
Only conversations created while conversation history is turned on are captured [1]. Admins can use unit-level conversation history and deletion settings in the Admin console [1]. These can stop users deleting conversations themselves, or delete conversations automatically after a period of inactivity [1].
Google states plainly: "There is no end-user setting for this feature." [1] Many may not know the export exists unless someone tells them.
Which editions include it?
The announcement lists these editions [1]:
- Business Plus
- Frontline Standard and Plus
- Enterprise Essentials Plus
- Enterprise Standard and Plus
- Education Fundamentals, Standard and Plus
- the Vault add-on
Who is affected?
- IT admins and data protection leads. They gain a new export and need to decide how conversation history and deletion are set for each unit [1].
- Teachers and school staff. Education editions are in scope [1]. Prompts about pupils may end up in an export.
- Students. They have no setting of their own [1], so they rely on the school to explain what is kept.
- Remote teams and managers. Exports carry links to referenced files and citations [1], which may surface sensitive work.
- Facilitators and trainers. Assistant chats in Meet are covered [1]. This likely matters less day to day, but it is worth knowing.
What should schools and teams do now?
- Check your edition. Confirm whether your plan is on the list above.
- Review conversation history. Decide, unit by unit, whether history is on, because only chats made while it is on are captured [1].
- Set deletion rules on purpose. Choose whether users may delete their own chats and how long inactive chats are kept [1]. Match this to your existing records and retention policy.
- Tell people. Update your acceptable use policy and privacy notice. Say plainly that assistant prompts and replies can be exported.
- Give simple prompt rules. Ask staff not to paste pupil records, health details or personal data into the assistant unless your policy allows it.
- Plan for legal holds later. Note who would run an export and who signs it off.
What is not yet clear?
- Retention rules and legal holds. Google says further features, "such as retention rules and litigation holds, will follow in future releases" [1]. It gives no date.
- The exact API date. API support is promised within 14 days of the interface rollout [1], but no calendar date is given.
- Other apps. The announcement names Gmail, Drive, Docs, Sheets, Slides and Meet [1]. It does not say whether other Workspace apps will follow.
- Default settings. The source does not say what the default deletion period is for each edition.