Tech Desk 
May 22, 2025
Google is upgrading Gmail with Gemini-powered smart replies that understand your emails, your style, and even your files.
At the I/O 2025 event, Google announced an innovative update of the smart replies functionality in Gmail. The short messages that the AI recommends for use in Gmail will now become far smarter and more personal with the assistance of Gemini, Google's new AI engine.
What to expect from Gmail’s Gemini AI update?
Up until that point, Gmail Smart Replies were limited to use cases such as "Sure!" or "Sounds good!" But with Gemini, smart replies can now access data from outside the email response, which extends to your Gmail and Google Drive files.
In other words, if someone emails you asking for an update on a project or sharing a file, Gemini will also help you in your email response by scanning your files and message threads to find that information.
Moreover, Google indicated the purpose of this enhancement is to allow users to save time writing accurate replies without needing to search through document threads or file through documents.
According to The Verge, Vice-President of Product at Google Workspace Blake Barnes acknowledged that Gemini has a situational understanding of the situation users are responding to and will proactively assist the users by searching files and emails that are relevant.
Gemini will also contextualise the person you are speaking with, indicating it may offer a more formal response based on the relationship with the recipient. If you are speaking to a friend, a more informal type of response may be offered.
Gmail’s Gemini AI update availability
The improved smart replies will first roll out in English, starting July in Google Labs as an alpha test. They’ll work on Gmail across web, Android, and iOS. These features will be part of paid Google Workspace and Google One AI Premium plans. While there's a chance they may come to free accounts later, there's no set timeline yet.
