• Google will be bringing the new generative AI experiences to trusted testers on a rolling basis throughout the year, before making them available publicly.
• According to a statement by the tech giant, users will be able to draft, reply, summarize, and prioritize Gmail.
Google has introduced its first set of AI-powered writing features in Docs and Gmail to trusted testers.
This is in a bid to make it possible for Workspace users to harness the power of generative AI to create, connect, and collaborate.
Google Workspace product VP Johanna Wright said that across Google’s productivity suite, advances in AI are already helping three billion users save more time.
This is with smart compose and smart reply, generating summaries for Docs, looking more professional in meetings, and staying safe against malware and phishing attacks.
Wright added that as the world’s most popular and secure cloud-native communication and collaboration suite, getting this right and at scale, is something they take seriously.
“We know from our deep experience in AI and productivity that building features with AI requires great care, thoughtful experimentation, and many iterations driven by user feedback,” she said.
“We do all this while building safeguards against abuse, protecting the privacy of user data, and respecting customer control for data governance.”
Google will be bringing the new generative AI experiences to trusted testers on a rolling basis throughout the year, before making them available publicly.
According to a statement by the tech giant, users will be able to draft, reply, summarize, and prioritize Gmail.
They will also be able to brainstorm, proofread, write, and rewrite in Docs, bring their creative vision to life with auto-generated images, and audio and video slides as well as enable workflows for getting things done in Chat.
Users will be able to go from raw data to insights and analysis via auto-completion, formula generation, and contextual categorization in Sheets as well as generate new backgrounds and capture notes in Meet.
Starting with Docs and Gmail
Google is embedding generative AI in Docs and Gmail to help users get started writing.
Wright said that Workspace will save one the time and effort of writing the first draft.
“Simply type a topic you’d like to write about and a draft will instantly be generated for you. With your collaborative AI partner, you can continue to refine and edit, getting more suggestions as needed,” she said.
The new generative AI capabilities will help one rewrite in instances where one needs help writing a job description, finding the right tone and style or where one has jotted down a few bullets and wants to transform them into a more polished summary for sharing.
“If you’re in the mood to let AI try out a new playful voice altogether, you’ll be able to hit the “I’m feeling lucky” option in Gmail,” Wright said.
Keeping users in control
Wright noted that having experimented with AI, what is for sure is that AI is no replacement for the ingenuity, creativity, and smarts of real people.
"Sometimes the AI gets things wrong, sometimes it delights you with something offbeat, and oftentimes it requires guidance,” she said.
Google is dedicated to making products in accordance with its AI principles that seek to keep the user in control, letting AI make suggestions that a user is able to accept, edit and change.
Google is set to launch these new experiences this month through its trusted tester program, starting with English in the US.
Thereafter, Google will iterate and refine experiences before making them available more broadly to consumers, small businesses, enterprises and educational institutions in more countries and languages.
“In the same way we revolutionized real-time collaboration with co-authoring in Docs 17 years ago, we’re excited to transform creation and collaboration all over again in Workspace in this new era of AI,” Wright said.