Google has been feeling the pressure to catch up with OpenAI since the latter’s conversational bot, ChatGPT, took the generative AI industry by storm. In response, Google released its own AI tool called Bard, but it failed to impress, as it immediately misquoted easily verifiable stats about the JWST. So, Google has now announced a new approach to stay competitive by incorporating AI into virtually all of its Workspace products.
According to the company, the new AI-powered features will allow users to draft, reply, summarize, and prioritize emails, brainstorm, proofread, write, and rewrite text documents, and even autogenerate images and videos with Slides. Users will also be able to have Sheets autonomously create formulas, automate transcription notes in Meet, and enable workflows for getting things done in Chat.
With the incorporation of AI into their products, Google aims to make their products smarter, more efficient, and more productive for users. For example, with AI-powered email responses, users can save time and increase productivity by having Google’s AI draft responses to emails. The AI-powered text documents can help users brainstorm, proofread, and edit their documents with ease, providing them with new suggestions and ideas. AI-powered video and image creation can help users create presentations and other visual content more easily and quickly. And, with automated transcription notes in Meet, users can avoid the tedious task of taking notes during meetings and focus on the conversation.
The incorporation of AI in Sheets can help users create more complex formulas by suggesting formulas and functions based on the data provided. And, with workflows enabled in Chat, users can streamline their communication and collaboration processes, making it easier to get things done. Google’s new approach to incorporating AI into its products is similar to its approach to social features during the Google+ era.
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However, this time, the company is banking on the power of AI to make its products more intelligent and productive for users. The incorporation of AI will not only help users save time and increase productivity, but it will also help Google stay competitive in the rapidly-evolving world of AI-powered products.
Google has recently announced the addition of new features to its Google Workspace suite that is powered by its generative AI technology. These new features are designed to help users generate text for their assignments or rework existing text to improve its quality.
One of the new features that Google has introduced is the ability for users to simply type the subject of their assignment into the page, and the generative AI will quickly generate additional text for them. This is a great time-saver for users who may be struggling with writer’s block or is short on time.
Another feature of the AI-enabled Workspace suite is the Rewrite function, which can help users to improve the quality of their existing text. Even if a user has only written bullet points, the Rewrite function can turn them into well-formed sentences and paragraphs.
In addition to these features, Google has also added an “I’m feeling lucky” option to Gmail, which is expected to be particularly popular with HR departments. This feature is designed to help users generate email responses quickly, by suggesting pre-written responses that are tailored to the content of the email.
Despite the power of its AI technology, Google is keen to emphasize that it is not a replacement for human creativity and ingenuity. As Johanna Voolich Wright, VP of Product at Google Workspace has stated, “Sometimes the AI gets things wrong, sometimes it delights you with something offbeat, and oftentimes it requires guidance.”
To ensure that its AI technology is used ethically and responsibly, Google is building its products within the bounds of its AI Principles. These principles are as legally binding as the company’s old “Don’t be evil” motto and are designed to ensure that Google’s AI technology is used in ways that are consistent with the company’s values and commitments.
The new AI-enabled Workspace suite is expected to be rolled out to English language users in the US by the end of the month, with additional languages and regions to follow shortly. With these new features, Google is continuing to push the boundaries of what is possible with AI technology, while at the same time ensuring that it is used in ways that are beneficial to users and society as a whole.
