Gmail just got an era-defining Gemini update whether you like it or not

When Gmail first arrived over 20 years ago, it looked a lot different to what it looks like now. It was a lot quieter too. You weren't getting emails three times a day just asking if you got previous emails, so clearing your inbox was a much more manageable task than it is today.

As I sit here writing this news story, I have 500 emails I have to clear and I only cleared them three days ago – and two of those were at the weekend. However, Google has just pushed out an update that could take some of the heavy lifting.

What new features are coming to Gmail?

According to Google's own blog, the latest update will see AI Overviews introduced to Gmail. It will work in a similar way to the feature in Google Search, with Gemini offering a summary of key points for an email thread.

The update also allows you to use natural language to ask your inbox a question. The example Google gives is: “Who was the planner that gave me a quote for the bathroom renovation last year?”

Gemini will pull the answer from your emails, summarising the details you need.

Other features within the update include the addition of Help Me Write for polishing emails or drafting an email from scratch, while Proofread will allow you to check for grammar, tone and style.

There is also an update to Smart Replies in something called Suggested Replies. This will use the context of your conversation to come up with a relevant, on-tap response that matches how you write.

Last but not least, there is an AI Inbox coming that will help you filter out some of the clutter by highlighting to-dos and giving you a summary of what matters based on what has come through.

There’s a small catch with all these updates, though. AI Overviews will be available to everyone at no extra cost, as will Help Me Write and Suggested Replies. But, you will need a Google AI Pro or Ultra account to access the ability to ask your inbox questions and the Proofread features.

For AI Inbox meanwhile, this will be available to “trusted testers” in the US, before being rolled out across other languages and regions in the “coming months”.