Don’t you want AI to summarize your Gmail messages? Anyway, you might see it. According to Thursday’s Google blog post, some Gmail app users will soon see a summary of the email generated by the AI.
Gmail users with paid workspace accounts and Google AI Premium subscriptions will view the summary in the Gmail app on Android and iOS. Previously, users had to click the Summary button at the top of their phone screen for AI summary, but now, the summary will appear. Some users may have seen the changes, but it may take up to 15 days to roll out to all users.
In the AI email summary, Gemini will provide bullets for all key aspects of the email and will update the summary with any subsequent reply email thread. As of now, these summary can only be used in emails in English.
According to Google, these digests will automatically occur “where the digest is useful, such as longer email threads or messages with multiple replies.”
Users can disable automatic AI digests, but doing so will also disable other smart features such as high priority notifications, package tracking, smart writing, smart replies and nudity.
“How difficult is it to read emails?”
Ron Richards, co-host of Android’s loyal podcast, found the Gemini AI email summary “It’s fun.”
“How difficult is it to actually read emails?” Richards told CNET. “We’re all busy, for sure, but the time it takes to read the summary, you can read the email! That said, I can see that this might help with long emails or long sounds.”
This is part of Google’s latest plan to enable users to further interact with AI-Power assistant Gemini. Last year, Google enabled Gemini in the Gmail side panel to aggregate email threads, get help drafting emails, view suggested responses to email threads, and other features.
Gemini is also available in the side panels of Google Docs, Google Sheats, Google Slides and Drive.
If you don’t want Gemini in Gmail at all, CNET has a guide to disabling it.
As Google further integrates AI into Gmail messages and threads, some people wonder if data privacy would be under threat if Gemini mined their emails. A Subreddit, called R/Hacksguider, raises the question: “Did Google Gemini violate your privacy by sneaking into your Gmail and Docs?”
The post marvels at the “convenience” of having an AI that “knows your communication style” and organises your Google Docs, but “Flip Side is very shocking. Gemini has access to our personal emails and documents and we have to question how our data is used and protected. Are we convenient for our privacy?”
In a announcement Thursday, Google did not say: “Like all our AI features, Gmail remains committed to protecting user data and prioritizing privacy.”
Richards, of Android’s loyal podcast, learned that some people don’t want AI in emails at all, but the fact is realistic.
“That ship has sailed,” he said. “It’s not just from Google, but from the industry, from Google to Apple to Microsoft. AI is here…this doesn’t go away. It’s a question of how you choose to interact with it and use it or take advantage of it for your needs.”
