Gmail users on Android can now chat directly with Google, Gemini, about their emails with the new Gmail Q&A feature.
Gmail Q&A will be available to Gemini subscribers, and Google announced that the feature will also be available on iOS devices.
With Gmail Q&A, users can access Google Gemini through the Gmail app, which acts as a personal assistant capable of reading all of your incoming emails. Google says you can ask Gemini to summarize emails by saying, for example, “Get to know about emails about quarterly planning.” Additionally, you can use this feature to search for specific information, such as by asking Gemini, “How much did the company spend on its latest marketing event?”
Read also: Gemini can now help you with drafts in Gmail
Of course, you should be prepared for the occasional misperception that can affect even the best AI models when using this feature, so it might be best not to blindly trust everything it tells you.
Traditionally, to find information in your Gmail, you used the search bar at the top of the page. That feature remains, but the Gemini button will be added next to the search bar. This change is part of Google’s strategy to move from search to AI interaction . Instead of the initial email through search, Gmail encourages users to use an AI chatbot that summarizes the information they’re looking for. However, the chatbot will always mention the source of the email in its response.
Subscribers can access the feature by clicking the black star logo, which represents Gemini in Google's suite of products, in the top right corner of the app. Right now, Gmail's Q&A feature only has access to your emails, but in the future, Google plans to connect it to files in your Drive account as well.
In June, Gmail Q&A became available to Gmail web users who pay for Gemini or Google One AI Premium. Those users invest about $20 (~€18) per month for advanced AI features like this, which are part of Google’s suite of products and apps around Gemini.
See more: Gemini for Android tests a new voice
It looks like Gmail Q&A won’t be available to free Gmail users anytime soon. Instead, Google is pushing features like Gmail Q&A to convince users that the expensive monthly subscription for Gemini is worth it. The company is also integrating Gemini into all of its existing products, including Google Docs, Gmail, Google Calendar, and more — all of which come at a premium. So far, these AI products are Google’s best chance to monetize Gemini.
Source: techcrunch
