Google begins testing new AI features in Gmail and Docs

A few weeks ago, Google made headlines when it announced plans to add a host of general AI features to its Workspace-based work applications, including Gmail and Docs.

At the time, the software giant said that in the initial rollout phase at the end of March, only a small group of "trusted testers" outside the company would be licensed to use it. Try new features.

According to the roadmap, this plan is being led by Google, but the company is quite tight-lipped, not as loud as the initial announcement. Reporting from 9to5Google, citing reputable sources, the first group of test users was invited by the Mountain View company to experience the new general AI features added to Google Gmail and Docs. The composition of this initial test group is also diverse, including general users (over 18), businesses, and education, all of which are located in the United States. These are the subjects who received an invitation to the experiment directly from Google, but would also have to register and opt-in. The tester can decline or leave the program at any time.

The newly added features will essentially allow users to leverage AI in assisting in creating, organizing and processing emails or documents in Gmail or Docs respectively. AI can help rewrite existing documents or emails in a streamlined or even more complex way. Of course, users can still manually edit these documents at any time.

Google says more users will be invited to the Workspace general AI test in the coming months. At the moment, it seems that the company is still selecting test invites, and has not yet accepted waiting list registrations.

Additionally, Microsoft has also now begun testing its own generalized AI features in Office apps, called Copilot. However, the test plan seems to be still very limited at the moment.