AI comes to Gmail as Google embeds Gemini into email search and writing

After rolling out AI-generated overviews at the top of its search results, Google is reportedly embedding artificial intelligence into another of its most widely used services, Gmail, as the company expands the use of generative AI across its products.

According to the company, Google this month began rolling out a suite of new Gmail features powered by generative AI, aimed at helping users manage bloated inboxes and speed up the process of writing emails. Some of the tools will be available for free, while others will require a paid subscription.

The updated version of Gmail will allow users to search their inbox by typing natural-language questions, such as asking for the name of a job recruiter they met the previous month, Google informed. The company is also testing a redesigned AI-driven inbox, which is expected to be released later this year, alongside additional updates in the coming months.

Google also unveiled new writing tools designed to streamline email composition, including an automatic proofreader and an AI-powered response generator, the company said. These tools are intended to reduce the time users spend drafting and editing emails.

If widely adopted, the new AI features could represent the most significant shift in how people use Gmail in decades, according to industry observers. The technology has the potential to change email from something users manually check throughout the day into a more streamlined overview that is reviewed periodically.

The rollout, however, raises questions around privacy. To function effectively, Gemini, Google’s AI assistant, requires access to a user’s entire inbox. Google stated that while its systems analyse email content to deliver these features, safeguards are in place to ensure that company employees do not read users’ emails.

Managing email has long been a source of friction for users, with messages often piling up as people choose to ignore them rather than read, reply or delete them. Over time, these unread emails can accumulate and add to stress. Google said the new AI-driven tools are designed to reduce this burden by helping users search, summarise and respond to emails more efficiently.