Google is introducing its new Gemini AI side panel to Gmail, as well as Docs, Sheets, Slides, and Drive. This rollout follows the company’s announcement at its I/O developer conference, which emphasized Google’s focus on integrating AI into its suite of tools.
Google brings its Gemini AI to Gmail to help you write and summarize emails (for Google Workspace customers):https://t.co/QveAchqaPy
— The AI Navigator (@theAInavigator) June 25, 2024
The Gemini AI side panel in Gmail is designed to assist users in drafting emails and summarizing email threads. It can suggest responses and provide specific information from emails and Google Drive files. Users can interact with Gemini by asking questions like, “What was the PO number for my agency?” or “How much did the company spend on the last marketing event?” While the AI provides prompts to help initiate queries, users can also customize their questions to fit their needs.
These features are available exclusively to Google Workspace customers with specific add-ons such as Gemini Business or Enterprise, Gemini Education or Education Premium, or a Google One AI Premium subscription.
Not your average Gemini: Google launches AI features for Gmail and other products https://t.co/2HhERhne56
— ABC 10News San Diego (@10News) June 25, 2024
In Google Docs, the Gemini side panel aids in writing, refining content, summarizing information, and brainstorming ideas. It can also create content based on other files. In Google Slides, Gemini helps generate new slides and custom images, and it can summarize presentations. For Google Sheets, Gemini assists in tracking and organizing data, creating tables, generating formulas, and performing various tasks. In Google Drive, the AI panel can summarize documents and provide quick facts about projects.
Google’s addition of generative AI features to its popular apps aligns with a broader trend in the tech industry. Earlier this year, Meta integrated its AI chatbot into Instagram and WhatsApp, and Apple announced plans to incorporate generative AI into apps like Siri, Messages, Mail, and Notes. While these enhancements have generated excitement, they have also faced resistance. For instance, some users pushed back when Meta introduced its AI chatbot to Instagram search. As AI becomes more prevalent in everyday apps and services, avoiding generative AI tools like OpenAI’s ChatGPT is becoming increasingly difficult for users.
Google introduces Gemini Side Panel for Gmail, Google Drive, Docs, Sheets, and paid presentations, including Google One AI Premium, as announced at their annual developer conference I/O 2024 last month. #Google #Gemini #AI pic.twitter.com/x08gdmt59l
— X tech news (@x_newstech) June 25, 2024
Google’s new Gemini AI features aim to enhance productivity and streamline tasks across its suite of tools. By embedding AI capabilities into Gmail, Docs, Sheets, Slides, and Drive, Google hopes to provide users with smarter, more efficient ways to manage their work. The ongoing integration of AI into mainstream applications highlights the tech industry’s commitment to leveraging artificial intelligence to improve user experiences and workflows, despite some users’ reservations about the pervasive nature of these technologies.
Key Points:
i. Google has introduced the Gemini AI side panel to Gmail, Docs, Sheets, Slides, and Drive, enhancing these applications with AI-driven features.
ii. In Gmail, Gemini helps draft emails, suggest responses, and provide specific information from emails and Google Drive files.
iii. The AI features in Docs, Slides, Sheets, and Drive assist with writing, summarizing content, brainstorming ideas, generating slides and custom images, organizing data, creating tables and formulas, and summarizing documents.
iv. Access to these features is limited to Google Workspace customers with specific Gemini add-ons or a Google One AI Premium subscription.
v. This move aligns with a broader trend of integrating AI into everyday apps, following similar steps by Meta and Apple, despite some user resistance to the pervasive nature of generative AI tools.
Kirk Volo – Reprinted with permission of Whatfinger News
