Thought Leadership
With Gmail Live, Docs Live, and Keep Live, Google is introducing new Gemini-based voice features to three core Workspace applications.
Google had first presented the underlying Gemini audio models back in May at its I/O developer conference and is now gradually rolling out the specific features. Via Gmail Live, users will in the future be able to ask questions about the contents of their inbox instead of typing in search terms, while a live transcript of the conversation runs on the screen and links to the respective source emails.
Docs Live, on the other hand, acts as a kind of hands-free note-taker that creates an initial document draft from verbally described, unstructured thoughts, and can additionally pull in information from Gmail, Drive, Chat, and the web given the appropriate authorization. Finally, Keep Live automatically transforms spontaneously spoken streams of thought into structured, actionable notes and lists.
Processing reportedly runs in the background so that thoughts are transformed into structured lists and notes without having to type a single word. In terms of availability, the three features differ: Gmail Live and Keep Live are available to subscribers of the Google AI Plus, Pro, and Ultra plans, while Docs Live remains initially reserved for the two more expensive Pro and Ultra plans. For business customers of Google Workspace, the new voice features are not yet available, though Google states it is already working on a corresponding expansion. The rollout is taking place initially on Android and iOS and is currently restricted to the English language.
“Keep’s new voice feature understands your stream of thought.”
New Gmail: Not met with unreserved enthusiasm by all users
Google positions the push as an attempt to make its applications feel less like traditional software and more like a natural conversation. According to trade publication TechSpot, however, not all users are equally enthusiastic about the prospect of increasingly speaking to their email client or note-taking tool in the future instead of typing as usual.
(Editorial Team)
