AI Overview, the function that generates AI-based summaries in Google search, is now also available on Gmail, the Mountain View giant’s email service. This marks a key step in the way Gmail users interact with email, bringing the experience gained with AI Overview in the search engine (which has now effectively transformed into a “response engine” that is sending online publishers into crisis) to Gmail. With what objective? Putting each of these users in a position to be able to «manage inbox and information flow». Let’s take a closer look at how Google planned to reach this point.
How to use Gmail’s new AI-powered features
Gmail is now used by around 3 billion people and for years has been using artificial intelligence systems for functions such as the anti-spam filter or quick replies. Compared to 2004, the year the service was launched, the context of use of the service has changed profoundly: the exchange of e-mails is much more voluminous and is often not reduced to a few messages, but to long conversations stratified over time. This is where AI Overviews come into play, i.e. automatic summaries that condense the content of complex threads into a few key points. When a conversation with dozens of replies is opened, Gmail generates a summary that allows you to immediately understand what happened and what decisions were made at a glance, without having to read every single message. The synthesis is produced by Gemini.
The same principle applies when we ask a question directly to your inbox. We can ask, for example, who sent us a quote last year or when an appointment was scheduled, using natural language. AI analyzes relevant emails, extracts information and returns a single, consistent response. It is Gemini’s advanced reasoning capabilities, i.e. the model’s ability to connect data present in different messages and summarize them in an understandable way, that allows this “magic”. We would like to point out that the conversation summaries are available to everyone (including free users), while the possibility of actively querying the inbox is reserved for subscribers to the Google AI Pro and Ultra plans.
Another area in which AI intervenes is the writing of messages. The “Help me write” feature lets you generate emails from scratch or improve existing drafts, while new Suggested Replies evolve previous intelligent replies by leveraging the context of the conversation. The system offers texts that take into account the content of previous messages and tries to adapt to the response style used by the user. You can then edit and approve the text before sending, maintaining full control over your messages. Proofreading, available to premium users, goes beyond simple grammar checking and analyzes tone and clarity, helping the sender avoid ambiguity or inappropriate wording. In future updates, these features will also use information from other Google apps, increasing the level of customization.
The arrival of AI Inbox: how it works
Google also announced the arrival of AI Inbox in Gmail, an inbox that sorts messages based on their relevance. The algorithm identifies what matters most to us by analyzing signals such as frequency of contact, presence in our contacts and relationships deducible from the text, ensuring we always have the messages that really matter at the forefront of our inbox. Google underlines that «this analysis occurs securely with privacy protections» necessary. This last function is currently being tested and will be available in the coming months, but it anticipates a clear direction: email, with the advent of AI, will no longer be what it was before.
