NewsRescue
Google announced Tuesday that it will release generative artificial intelligence tools for Gmail and Google Docs in the coming weeks that will automatically generate drafts.
“In Gmail and Google Docs, you can simply type in a topic you’d like to write about, and a draft will be instantly generated for you,” Google Cloud CEO Thomas Kurian wrote in a post Tuesday, announcing the new features.
The new features will be rolled out to a “limited set of trusted testers” in coming weeks on a rolling basis throughout the year before making them available publicly.
Using generative AI will allow Workspace users to “create, connect, and collaborate like never before,” according to Google Workspace Vice President Johanna Voolich Wright in a product announcement.
Wright stated that developing AI features requires “great care,” and that the company is “building safeguards against abuse, protecting user data privacy, and respecting customer controls for data governance.”
“AI is no substitute for human ingenuity, creativity, and intelligence,” Wright said, noting that AI can make mistakes and frequently requires guidance.
According to the company, more than 3 billion people already use AI-powered features in Google Workspace. Current AI-powered features include, for example, “Smart Compose” in Gmail and auto-generated summaries in Google Docs.
Google Workspace, in addition to Gmail and Google Docs, includes Calendar, Meet, Chat, Drive, Slides, Sheets, and other tools.
According to Wright, the new AI features will include the ability to:
- draft, reply, summarize, and prioritize Gmail (an email service)
- brainstorm, proofread, write, and rewrite in Docs (a word processing app)
- get auto-generated images, audio, and video for Slides (a presentation app)
- go from raw data to insights and analysis in Sheets (a spreadsheet app)
- enable workflows in Chat (a group communication and collaboration tool)
