Users of Gmail on Android can now chat with Gemini regarding their emails
Users of Gmail on Android devices can now directly chat with Google's AI assistant, Gemini, about their emails in the Gmail app. Google introduced the new feature, Gmail Q&A, to users who are subscribed to Gemini on Thursday, as per a blog post, and also announced that the feature will soon be available on iOS devices.
Through Gmail Q&A, users can interact with Google Gemini within the Gmail app as their personal assistant, capable of reading their entire email inbox. Users can request Gemini to summarize emails by mentioning specifics like, 'Update me on the emails related to quarterly planning.' Additionally, users can utilize the feature to search for particular details by asking Gemini questions like, 'What was the expenditure on the latest marketing event?'
Despite occasional glitches that even the most advanced AI models can experience, users can leverage this feature with caution and not entirely rely on all its responses.
In the past, to find information in Gmail, users could utilize the search bar at the top of Google. Although that function remains intact, the Gemini button will be placed next to the search bar. This marks Google's transition from a focus on search towards AI chat. Rather than locating the original email through search, Gmail encourages users to utilize an AI chatbot to summarize the information they seek. However, the source email will still be referenced in the responses.
Premium users can access this feature by clicking on the black star icon, which symbolizes Gemini across Google's product range, in the top-right corner of the app. Presently, Gmail Q&A only has access to users' emails, but Google has plans to incorporate connectivity to files in their Drive accounts in the future.
In June, Gmail Q&A was introduced to web users of Gmail who subscribe to Gemini or Google One AI Premium. Subscribers pay around $20 a month for AI functionalities like this, forming part of Google's product and application ecosystem around Gemini.
It's improbable that Gmail Q&A will be offered to free Gmail users in the foreseeable future. Instead, Google aims to persuade users of the value of the monthly subscription costs for Gemini by introducing features like Gmail Q&A. The company is embedding Gemini in all its existing products such as Google Docs, Gmail, Google Calendar, and more - albeit at a cost. Currently, these AI products serve as Google's main revenue source from Gemini.
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