Gmail’s Gemini AI Sidebar and Email Summaries Now Rolling Out

Google is expanding its Gemini AI features to paying customers across various services, including Docs, Sheets, Slides, and Drive.

Gmail is receiving new AI functionalities designed to help users manage their emails more efficiently. The web version of Gmail now features a new Gemini side panel capable of summarizing email threads and drafting new messages. This tool offers “proactive prompts,” and users can also ask “freeform questions,” according to Google’s blog post. It’s built to leverage Google’s advanced models, such as Gemini 1.5 Pro. In the Gmail mobile apps, Gemini can also summarize threads.

These enhancements are useful but exclusive to paid Gemini users. To access these features, you need to be a Google Workspace customer with a Gemini Business or Enterprise add-on, a Gemini Education or Education Premium add-on, or a Google One AI Premium subscriber. It is advisable not to rely entirely on these tools for important work emails, as AI can sometimes generate inaccuracies. Always double-check significant emails that Gemini assists with before sending them.

Additionally, Google is rolling out Gemini features to the side panels in Docs, Sheets, Slides, and Drive. Google announced last month at I/O that these features were forthcoming. There are still some AI features to come for Gmail, including “Contextual Smart Reply.”