Gemini in Gmail App Adds Contextual Smart Replies Feature for Google Workspace Users

Gemini in the Gmail app is getting a new feature which will let users quickly respond to emails with the power of artificial intelligence (AI). Dubbed contextual smart replies, the feature allows users to respond to incoming emails with detailed replies. The AI can process the content of the email and contextually generate a reply. Notably, the smart replies feature was first introduced in 2017, but it only generates a short one-liner response. This feature is only available to Google Workspace users, and free users of the platform will not see it.

Gemini in Gmail Gets Contextual Smart Replies Feature

Replying to emails can be a time-consuming proposition, especially if someone gets a large volume of them on a daily basis. Google first released a solution for the problem with smart replies in 2017, which used machine learning to show three choices of replies to an email. However, these were short one-line responses which often did not contain any critical information the user might have to add.

Gmail contextual smart replies feature
Photo Credit: Google

In a blog post on Thursday, the Mountain View-based tech giant announced contextual smart replies, which is an upgrade of the 2017 feature. It uses Google’s native Gemini AI models to generate contextually aware replies that users will see once they enter the email page.

After initiating a reply, users will see multiple reply suggestions appear at the bottom of the screen. Users will see the first few words of the title and the content. Once selected, AI will generate a full reply to the email that can be multiple paragraphs long and contains all the information the sender is seeking. This message can then be edited to add more information or sent as it is.

This feature is currently being rolled out to Google Workspace users with Gemini Business, Enterprise, Education, or Education Premium add-ons. The feature will also be available to users with the Google One AI Premium subscription. Notably, this is an app-based feature and is available on both Android and iOS.