Gmail is getting a suite of new AI-powered features based on Google’s Gemini 3 model. According to a blog post by Blake Barnes, VP of Product at Gmail, the service is entering the “Gemini era.” The rollout has begun in the US and is initially available in English.
The core new feature is AI Overviews, already familiar from Google Search. In Gmail, they serve two main purposes. First, the AI automatically summarizes long email threads with multiple replies and extracts key points. Second, users can query their inbox in natural language.
Instead of searching by keywords or scrolling through old messages, users can ask questions like, “Who was the plumber who gave me a quote for the bathroom renovation last year?” Gemini then generates a concise summary with the relevant details. Conversation summaries are free, while the question-based inbox search is limited to paid Google AI Pro and Ultra subscribers.
Writing assistance for everyone, premium features for subscribers
Google is also expanding writing support in Gmail. The “Help Me Write” feature, which allows users to draft or rewrite emails from scratch, is now available to all users for free. Starting next month, Google says the tool will also be able to incorporate context from other Google apps.
Existing Smart Replies are being replaced with “Suggested Replies,” which take conversation context into account and generate responses in the user’s personal writing style. A new proofreading feature with advanced grammar, tone, and style checks, however, will remain exclusive to paying subscribers.
AI-driven inbox prioritization still in testing
Another upcoming feature, called “AI Inbox,” is designed to filter out less important emails and prioritize relevant messages. According to Google, the system automatically identifies important contacts based on communication frequency, contact lists, and relationships inferred from message content. This should push items like due bills or medical appointments to the top of the inbox.
Google says email content analysis follows its standard privacy protections and that users retain control over their data. Unlike the other features, AI Inbox is not yet widely available. It is currently accessible only to selected testers, with a broader rollout planned in the coming months.
Gmail has three billion users, according to the company. AI-powered features such as Smart Replies and spam filtering have been part of the service for years. With the Gemini integration, Google is responding to what it describes as historically high email volumes, which have turned inbox management into a task of its own.
