Gmail is getting a big AI boost from Gemini — here’s all the new features

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Summarized conversations, more contextual smart replies lead the changes

Gemini in Workspace
(Image credit: Google)

Google Workspace is about to get a lot more tools thanks to Gemini, the company's AI model. As detailed at Google I/O today (May 14), Gemini 1.5 Pro is powering a number of tools aimed at helping you get tasks done quicker and parse information more easily.

One of the more significant additions will be Gemini 1.5 Pro in the side panel for Workspace apps including Docs, Drive, Slides, Sheets and Gmail. The addition means a longer context window and more powerful AI tools. The panel also provides access to previously introduced tools like Help Me Write, Help Me Organize or Help Me Visualize.

The mobile version of Gmail in particular figures to see a number of benefits from Gemini 1.5 Pro. A Summarize Emails feature can go through long email chains and summarize the major points. Say you're discussing a work project — the summary might include deadlines, key tasks and other critical information.

The Smart Reply feature in Gmail gets more contextualized replies courtesy of Gemini. Google says the smart replies will now be more nuanced and draw from the context of those email conversations. You'll also be able to edit those replies.

Finally, Gmail is getting a Q&A feature where you'll be able to ask specific questions and get answers. If you've got a bunch of messages with contractor bids, for example, you can ask Gemini to provide a summary of that information. Basically, it's a way of saving you from having to dive into different messages to find that information for yourself.

Eventually, Google says that Gemini will be able to recognize receipts, invoices and other types of attached files and offer to organize and track them for you. That could include everything from entering them into a spreadsheet to storing them in a folder on your Google Drive. That capability is coming later this year.

Workspace Labs users get the email summary feature this month, with the feature coming to Gemini for Workspace customers and Google One AI Premium subscribers in June. Contextual smart replies arrive in July for Workspace Lab users as does the Gmail Q&A capability.

Additionally, Google says its expanding language support for more Gemini for Workspace features. Help Me Write for Gmail and Docs will soon support Spanish and Portuguese. Google plans to add more languages in the future. 

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Philip Michaels
Philip Michaels

Philip Michaels is a Managing Editor at Tom's Guide. He's been covering personal technology since 1999 and was in the building when Steve Jobs showed off the iPhone for the first time. He's been evaluating smartphones since that first iPhone debuted in 2007, and he's been following phone carriers and smartphone plans since 2015. He has strong opinions about Apple, the Oakland Athletics, old movies and proper butchery techniques. Follow him at @PhilipMichaels.