Gemini will be accessible in the side panel on Google apps like Gmail and Docs

Google is adding Gemini-powered AI automation to more tasks in Workspace. In its Tuesday Google I/O keynote, the company said its advanced Gemini 1.5 Pro will soon be available in the Workspace side panel as “the connective tissue across multiple applications with AI-powered workflows,” as AI grows more intelligent, learns more about you and automates more of your workflow.

Gemini’s job in Workspace is to save you the time and effort of digging through files, emails and other data from multiple apps. “Workspace in the Gemini era will continue to unlock new ways of getting things done,” Google Workspace VP Aparna Pappu said at the event.

The refreshed Workspace side panel, coming first to Gmail, Docs, Sheets, Slides and Drive, will let you chat with Gemini about your content. Its longer context window (essentially, its memory) allows it to organize, understand and contextualize your data from different apps without leaving the one you’re in. This includes things like comparing receipt attachments, summarizing (and answering back-and-forth questions about) long email threads, or highlighting key points from meeting recordings.

Another example Google provided was planning a family reunion when your grandmother asks for hotel information. With the Workspace side panel, you can ask Gemini to find the Google Doc with the booking information by using the prompt, “What is the hotel name and sales manager email listed in @Family Reunion 2024?” Google says it will find the document and give you a quick answer, allowing you to insert it into your reply as you save time by faking human authenticity for poor Grandma.

The email-based changes are coming to the Gmail mobile app, too. “Gemini will soon be able to analyze email threads and provide a summarized view with the key highlights directly in the Gmail app, just as you can in the side panel,” the company said.

Summarizing in the Gmail app is coming to Workspace Labs this month. Meanwhile, the upgraded Workspace side panel will arrive starting Tuesday for Workspace Labs and Gemini for Workspace Alpha users. Google says all the features will arrive for the rest of Workspace customers and Google One AI Premium users next month.

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