Google adds Gemini A.I. features to Gmail, including an AI Inbox and new search tools

Google this month began rolling out a suite of generative A.I. features in Gmail powered by its Gemini assistant, including a new AI Inbox that pulls together to-do items and summaries from recent emails and search functions that let users ask questions instead of typing keywords.

Some features are available now, while others will require a paid subscription. The AI Inbox, currently being tested with a small set of users and slated for broader release in the coming months, gives a high-level overview of what you need to know and do by creating action items and topic summaries from recent conversations.

Free tools Google is making widely available include personalized suggested replies, AI Overviews with conversation summaries and a "Help Me Write" compose button. New paid features, initially part of Google’s A.I. plans starting at $20 a month, include question-based email search and an AI proofreading tool.

Integrating Gemini into Gmail raises privacy questions because the assistant needs access to a user’s inbox to operate. Google says Gemini can scan emails without humans in the loop and that it will not use Gmail data to train Gemini; as Blake Barnes, Google’s vice president overseeing Gmail, said, the processing can happen "in these isolated environments without humans in the loop at all." But a Google spokeswoman also noted some user interactions with A.I.

Key Topics

Tech, Google, Gemini, Gmail, Ai Inbox, Blake Barnes