Google has unveiled sweeping artificial intelligence-led changes to its popular email service in a bid to make life easier for billions of its users worldwide.
The global tech giant this week officially unveiled three new features through the integration of Gemini, its most capable AI tool, that is hoped to improve the Gmail experience.
The tools, some which have already been active and will be automatically turned on, include AI Overviews, Help Me Write and AI Inbox.
For all the latest science and technology news — download the news.com.au app direct to your phone.
AI Overviews
Our day to day lives have increasingly become busier.
Often, our emails can be neglected and the inbox piles up with messages.
Gemini, the virtual assistant, can now summarise long email chains into key points so the user does not have to read every single one to understand what it’s about.
Vice President of Product of Gmail, Blake Barnes, said email volume has reached an all-time high in a world that is becoming more connected through the internet.
“To help, we’re bringing Gmail into the Gemini era and making it your personal, proactive inbox assistant,” he wrote in a blog post.
MORE: 6 essential workplace skills in the age of AI
Users will also be able to ask questions to hunt for an email that could be from years ago instead of putting in key words and digging through hundreds of messages.
“ … Just use natural language, like ‘Who was the plumber that gave me a quote for the bathroom renovation last year?’ Gemini’s advanced reasoning pulls the answer, instantly summarising the exact details you need,” Mr Barnes continued.
The catch is the latter feature is only available to Google AI Pro and Ultra subscribers.
Help Me Write
Gemini will also be able to help write and polish emails through the new AI tools.
It can also assist in replying to messages by offering Suggested Replies that match the tone of how you would normally write. It can be tweaked before being sent.
A video demonstration by Google showed AI had read an email chain about a dinner party and whether the apple pie being brought would be gluten free.
Gemini immediately suggested a response that users had an option to click.
MORE: How AI is helping Aussies find work
That feature is an upgrade to Gmail’s Smart Replies and free to all users.
Meanwhile, paid subscribers will get access to the Proofread tool that will analyse the drafted email to ensure there are no grammar, tone and style errors.
AI Inbox
Everything we do requires an email address.
It means inboxes are flooded, often with unwanted or scam emails.
The AI Inbox feature will filter out the ones the user often does not read or that are immediately sent to the virtual bin.
Google describes it as a “personal briefing” that highlights the must-dos and catches a user up on what matters most since the last time they checked their inbox.
“It helps you prioritise, identifying your VIPs based on signals like people you email frequently, those in your contacts list and relationships it can infer from message content,” Mr Barnes said in the blog post.
“Crucially, this analysis happens securely with the privacy protections you expect from Google, keeping your data under your control. This lets high-stakes items — like a bill due tomorrow or a dentist reminder — rise to the top.”
The feature is going through a testing phase. It is set to be available in coming months.
Mixed reaction
One keynote speaker on artificial intelligence described it as “the biggest Gmail update in 20 years” that will be “genuinely helpful”.
But Gmail users, particularly in the United States, have been sceptical given the features are automatically turned on in their country.
“No, I don’t want AI (Gemini) scanning all my emails to “better my experience”,” one user wrote to Facebook.
“Not that I have anything to hide, but that I actually want to think for myself and not rely on AI doing the thinking for me.
“We once had useful skills as a people, where we could make our own things, fix things, cook, grow food, etc. That’s all changed, and it’s easy to see when this happened.”
“Can we pre-opt out of this garbage? I absolutely have zero want or need for this ‘feature’,” another commented on Google’s update announcement on X.
“Can’t wait for the AI to summarise all the emails I was already planning on ignoring,” a second Gmail user added.
“Gone too far,” a third simply wrote.
Those in Europe will have to opt in to use the new tools under the General Data Protection Regulation law on how organisations handle personal data in the European Union.
It is unclear when it will be available in Australia and whether it will be automatically switched on.
Read related topics:Google
Source link
