Your Gmail account is now getting personalized AI-backed Smart Replies
What's the story
Google has announced an upgrade to its Gmail feature, Smart Replies, at the I/O conference. The enhancement will use Gemini, Google's advanced AI model, to pull context from your Gmail inbox and Google Drive. This builds on last year's "contextual" upgrade that enabled longer responses than just a simple "Sounds good!" but was limited to information from the current Gmail thread.
AI integration
Gemini will enhance the context of replies
Blake Barnes, Google's VP of product for Workspace, told The Verge that Gemini will greatly enhance the context used in Smart Replies. He said that "Gemini can understand the situation that you need to respond to" and can take care of things like "digging through all the other files" and re-reading long threads. This way, you'll get responses that are comprehensive and contain all information.
Personalization
Smart Replies to adapt tone based on recipient
The revamped Smart Replies will also adjust its tone and style based on the recipient. For example, it might offer more formal responses while talking to a manager or casual replies for friends. Barnes highlighted this shift by saying, "We're moving from a place where AI is broadly helpful to AI that's helpful for you."
Rollout details
Availability and cost of upgraded Smart Replies
The upgraded Smart Replies will be available in English on the web, iOS, and Android devices. The feature will launch in alpha version in Google Labs this July, with a broader rollout by Q3 2025. However, these enhanced Smart Replies will come at a cost as they will be included in paid Workspace plans and Google One AI Premium subscriptions.
Additional features
Other AI-powered features for Gmail
Along with the Smart Replies upgrade, Google also unveiled other AI-powered features for Gmail at the I/O conference. These include an "inbox cleanup" tool that leverages Gemini to help you manage your inbox by deleting unread emails from certain senders. Another feature will leverage Gemini to suggest meeting times based on your calendar when you're scheduling with others. Both tools are expected to be available in Q3 of this year.