Artificial intelligence (AI) has been a hot topic lately, with major players like Microsoft and Google incorporating AI-powered features into their software and products. Following Microsoft’s implementation of AI-powered Bing into Windows, Google has now announced that it’s bringing AI to its Google Workspace suite of apps.
According to Google, the power of generative AI will enable users to create, connect, and collaborate like never before. These new AI tools will allow users to draft, reply, summarize, and prioritize their Gmail messages, brainstorm, proofread, write, and rewrite in Docs, bring their creative vision to life with auto-generated images, audio, and video in Slides, go from raw data to insights and analysis via auto-completion, formula generation, and contextual categorization in Sheets, generate new backgrounds and capture notes in Meet, and enable workflows for getting things done in Chat.
Specifically, a number of AI-powered writing features will be rolling out to a select group of trusted users in the US first, with generative AI to help people start writing being one such feature. If you’ve ever struggled with staring at a blank page and wondering how to start, Google’s AI can assist. Simply type in the topic you want to write about, and the AI will help you draft it out, refine and edit the copy as you work on it, and provide you with more suggestions as needed.
In addition, Google’s AI-based capabilities will also help you find the right tone and style when drafting out your emails. Gmail will now be able to help you rewrite your email after you’ve drafted it out to help you polish your message before you hit send. You’ll even be able to let the AI takeover altogether by hitting the ‘I’m feeling lucky’ option in Gmail. The AI tools can then write out your emails in different ways, be it in more formal or fun ways. You can even just write out a bunch of pointers for the AI to turn into a full email when drafting out your message.
However, Google does acknowledge that AI is not perfect and that their tools are in accordance with their own AI principles to ensure that users remain in control. The AI is only there to provide suggestions, which users can approve, edit, or change altogether.
“As we’ve experimented with generative AI ourselves, one thing is clear: 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,” said Johanna Voolich Wright, Google Vice President of Product Management, Google Workspace.
While Google’s move to bring AI to its suite of tools comes right after Microsoft’s successful preview of its AI-powered Bing search tools, it is clear that AI is becoming increasingly integrated into our daily lives, and will continue to shape the future of technology.
