Google wants you to open Gmail is less like “reading an infinite list” and more like receiving a short personalized information session, and to that end they have just announced a package of AI features that summarize conversations, respond better, and even turn your inbox into a task pane.
The most striking change is a new view called “AI Inbox”but it comes accompanied by “AI Overviews” within Gmail search, a Grammarly-like correction mode and writing/reply tools that expand to more users.
AI Inbox: your email as a dashboard
The new view Inbox It does not simply show emails in chronological order: the idea is that Gmail gives you a “brief” with what matters right now, without forcing you to open thread by thread.
In the interface (at least on the web), “AI Inbox” appears as an additional view next to the traditional mailbox (that is, it does not replace your regular Inbox forever; it can be toggled).
The most practical thing is that AI Inbox is divided into two main blocks: “Suggested to-dos” and “Topics to catch up on”.
- To-dos (tasks to do): here Gmail suggests specific actions based on your emails, such as paying a bill that is soon due or attending to an important reminder, with the option of returning to the original email that originated that pending message.
- Topics– Instead of “do this now,” group relevant updates to review (purchases, finances, returns, deliveries), organized by categories to get you up to speed faster.
Google says this view aims to “cut through the noise” and make email more proactive, showing you what you need to do and when, rather than leaving you alone with a mountain of messages.
In availability, AI Inbox will first reach test users before expanding to more people in the coming months.
AI Overviews: Search by asking “normal”
Another big novelty is that the Gmail Search will now have AI Overviews: instead of searching by single words, you can ask questions in natural language and get a summarized answer generated by AI.
The example Google is using is very everyday: asking something like “who was the plumber who quoted me for my bathroom remodel last year?” so that Gmail finds the correct thread and gets the key information without you having to open 20 emails.
According to the description, Gmail analyzes your query while keeping traditional search running, reviews relevant messages, and builds the overview with references to previous threads.
Pay attention to the detail: AI Overviews within search are being rolled out to Google AI Pro and Ultra subscribers (at least at startup).
In parallel, “thread summaries” (summaries within a thread when you open it) are becoming free for all users, which is key for eternal work, family or school threads.
Write, respond and correct with AI
In addition to reorganizing your inbox and “reinventing” search, Google is also pushing tools to answer better and faster on Gmail.
Among the features expanding to all users are “Help Me Write,” AI thread summaries, and “Suggested Replies.”
- Help me write: allows you to compose an email from a short prompt or improve a draft (ideal when you know what you want to say, but not how to say it without sounding dry).
- Suggested Answers: Instead of generic “Ok, thanks” responses, these suggestions use the context of the conversation and aim to be more like your tone and style.
- Summary of threads: Gmail can display a summary above or within long conversations so you understand decisions, next steps, and key points without reading the whole thing.
For those who pay, Google also adds a “Proofread” mode that works as an advanced checker (grammar, tone, style, clarity and structure), with suggestions for concision, word choice and division of very long sentences.
This “Proofread” also starts for subscribers of Google AI Pro and Ultraand it is mentioned that it begins on the web.
As for the sensitive part: Google states that personal content is not used to train its models and that these functions can be disabled from Gmail’s “smart features”, in addition to talking about a processing environment with “engineered privacy”.
The background twist? Google is trying to stop email from being a cemetery of pending things and become an assistant that prioritizes, summarizes and even “translates” your own history into quick responses.
Keep reading:
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