Google's Gmail is set to revolutionize the way we communicate via email. At the Google I/O event in 2023, CEO Sundar Pichai announced the new Help Me Write feature for generative AI email creation in Gmail.
With 1.8 billion active users of Gmail at the last count, the new Google service will draft automated messages for users in Gmail, text messages, and other Google apps.
From Smart Reply ➡️ “Help me write” in Gmail 🧵↓#GoogleIO pic.twitter.com/u0ILECSMN4
— Google (@Google) May 10, 2023
How Does Help Me Write Work?
Help Me Write will expand on the "Smart Compose" feature that Google introduced in 2018 and the "Smart Reply" feature added in 2017. Smart Reply offers basic automated replies, and Smart Compose provides suggestions as you type.
Help Me Write, on the other hand, will create a full email from a basic prompt. A "refine" button can shorten the text, elaborate, or make the email more formal. The user can then further edit the email manually or send it as is.
In his demo at Google I/O, Pichai used Help Me Write to draft an email asking for a full refund from an airline for a canceled flight. Help Me Write created an email from scratch using information gleaned from the airline's emailed offer of a voucher.
When Will Help Me Write Be Available?
Help Me Write has been used by Google Docs and Gmail testers since March. A similar group of Google testers will start using AI helpers for Google Sheets and Google Slides in June.
Pichai said that Help Me Write will be officially launched to Google users with an update to Google Workspace, but there is no firm timetable yet.
Magic Compose Comes to Google Messages
During the same event, Google announced the Magic Compose feature for the Google Messages app. Magic Compose is a generative AI tool that creates contextually-relevant replies and can take an initial message as a prompt and rewrite it to fit a theme or style. This feature is an enhancement over the existing Smart Reply feature of Google Messages.
What's Next?
The Help Me Write and Magic Compose features are part of Google's plan to integrate AI into its existing tools in the Workspace suite.
In addition to these features, Google will integrate AI-features that can brainstorm and proofread text in Docs, generate images, audio, and video in Slides, and analyze data in Sheets. These features will eventually be part of Google's "Duet AI for Workspace" service.
It's clear that Google is committed to expanding its AI capabilities in a bid to revolutionize the way we communicate and collaborate in the workplace.
If you want to try out Help Me Write or Magic Compose, stay tuned for updates on their release to the general public.