Google this week began adding its Gemini artificial intelligence technology to Gmail, offering to summarize email threads and suggest replies, among other paid subscription features. The new additions, which Google announced in a blog post on Monday, are being made available to Google Workspace subscribers, including business and education, as well as users who pay $20 a month for Google One AI Premium. do
Google said its paid users will have access to AI features in pop-ups on Gmail's website as well as on Android-powered devices, as well as its mobile app for Apple's iOS. Typically, the mobile option will allow users to tap a button at the top of emails that offers a summary of the email. After Gemini answers, users can then ask the AI more things, including ideas for answers or data from documents saved in Google Drive.
“You'll have the information you need to respond quickly without ever leaving Gmail,” the company said, noting that the system uses “Google's most capable models.” Built including Gemini 1.5 Pro.
Google's move to add AI to Gmail is part of the Internet giant's broader effort to build the popular technology across the company's sites and services. Google's May addition of AI review to search results was widely criticized for echoing racist conspiracy theories and offering dangerous health advice, such as telling users to put glue on pizza and eat rocks. . (Don't do either of those things.) High-profile screwups continue, some reports suggest, even though Google has promised fixes.
Google is also adding Gemini to paying users of its productivity tools, including Drive, Docs, Sheets, and Slides. Google also offers a free version of Gemini through its website that can provide answers to basic text and generate images. (For CNET reviews of generative AI products, including AI news, tips and explainers, including Gemini, Cloud, ChatGPT and Microsoft Copilot, see our AI Atlas resource page.)
Read more: AI Atlas, your guide to today's artificial intelligence
Google continues to add AI features to its products as it faces competition from across the tech industry. Other companies, including Facebook parent Meta, Microsoft and X, have reached out to add AI features to some of their most widely used products, though they too have struggled with decidedly mixed results.
In some cases, AIs have shown their love for consumers. Other AIs have created real-time summaries of events that didn't happen. Even image-creating AIs have been widely panned throughout history after falsely portraying people, and then mislabeling real images as being created with AI. Still, companies and governments continue to embrace AI as an essential tool for the future.
While Google is still pushing ahead with adding AI features, it's locking some of them behind its paid subscription plans. Many users can try Google's AI Premium subscription for free for two months, after which the service costs $20 per month.