Google Brings Gemini AI to Gmail to Help with Email Writing and Summarization

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Google has introduced a new Gemini AI side panel in Gmail, designed to assist users with writing emails and summarizing email threads. The company is also integrating the Gemini side panel into Docs, Sheets, Slides, and Drive. This launch comes shortly after Google announced these features last month at its I/O developer conference, which focused on new AI offerings.

With the new integration, users can utilize Gemini in Gmail to receive help with drafting emails or get suggested responses to an email. Additionally, users can ask questions and find specific information from emails within their inbox or from their Google Drive files.

Google notes that while Gemini in Gmail will provide prompts to help users get started with their queries, users can also ask their own questions. For instance, users can ask Gemini: "What was the PO number for my agency?" Or, they can ask: "How much did the company spend on the last marketing event."

These features are only available to Google Workspace customers with a Gemini Business or Enterprise add-on, a Gemini Education or Education Premium add-on, or a Google One AI Premium subscription.

Gemini in Gmail

In Docs, the Gemini side panel can assist with writing and refining content, summarizing information, and brainstorming ideas. Users can also create content based on other files. In Slides, Gemini can help generate new slides and custom images, as well as summarize presentations.

The Gemini panel can also help track and organize data in Sheets. Plus, users can create tables, generate formulas, and get help with performing certain tasks. In Drive, the Gemini panel can summarize documents and provide quick facts about a project.

As with the Gemini panel in Gmail, users will need to be paid Gemini users to access the features in Docs, Slides, Sheets, and Drive.

Google is the latest tech giant to incorporate generative AI features into its popular, everyday apps and services. Earlier this year, Meta brought its AI chatbot to Instagram and WhatsApp, while Apple recently announced that it's bringing generative AI features to its apps and services, including Siri, Messages, Mail, and Notes.

The recent trend of integrating AI into everyday products may not be welcomed by everyone. While there was excitement around Apple's upcoming AI features, there was pushback when Meta added its AI chatbot to search on Instagram. Up until now, users who aren't interested in generative AI tools, like OpenAI's ChatGPT, have been able to avoid them for the most part. But as tech giants continue to add AI to their everyday apps and services, generative AI will be harder to avoid.