This Gmail update is bigger than it looks
Google is adding more artificial intelligence to Gmail, aiming to make the email platform work more like a personal assistant.
The new features are designed to help users write emails, summarise information from their inbox, and surface daily tasks.
The update is a notable step for Gmail, which launched more than 20 years ago and now has over three billion users worldwide.
The new AI tools will initially be available in English in the United States, with plans to expand to more countries and languages later this year.
One of the main features, “Help Me Write,” adapts to a user’s writing style and offers suggestions to improve emails as they’re being written.
Users on Google’s Pro and Ultra plans will also get advanced inbox search tools, allowing them to ask conversational questions to quickly find information across their emails.
Google is also testing an “AI Inbox” feature with a small group of U.S. users.
When switched on, it scans emails to suggest to-do lists and flag topics that may need follow-up.
In short:
Gmail is adding AI tools for writing, search, and task suggestions
Some features are limited to paid plans and U.S. users at launch
Google says inbox data won’t be used to train its AI models
Gmail is doing the most
All of these tools are powered by Google’s latest AI model, Gemini 3, which was added to Google Search last year and drew attention across the AI industry, including from OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT.
Alongside the new features, Google acknowledges potential risks, such as AI-generated summaries or drafts containing errors.
The company says users can review or turn off the tools at any time.
It also states that inbox content analysed by these features will not be used to train its AI models, and that additional privacy protections are in place.
Here’s a horror story for you Gmail, I have 11,973 unread emails. 11,974 with the newsletter coming in. Thoughts and prayers. - MG