Google has introduced a new AI Inbox within Gmail, crafted to deliver a customized summary of your responsibilities and ensure you stay updated on critical information. Alongside this, Gmail is debuting AI Overviews in search and a "Proofread" tool that functions similarly to services like Grammarly. Furthermore, several AI capabilities once exclusive to paying subscribers are now being extended to every user.

The fresh AI Inbox tab is organized into two parts: "Suggested to-dos" and "Topics to catch up on." The first area presents condensed versions of high-priority messages that need your attention, like an alert for an upcoming bill payment or a reminder to confirm your address with a doctor for a prescription delivery. The "Topics to catch up on" section consolidates updates such as notifications about a processed return from Lululemon, the delivery of Metal Vent Tech shirts, or the availability of an end-of-year statement from Wealthfront. These various alerts are sorted into categories like "Finances" and "Purchases."

Blake Barnes, Vice President of Product at Google, explained in a briefing, "This represents our commitment to Gmail proactively supporting you, highlighting what needs to be done and when. Rest assured, the classic inbox will still be accessible. This is simply an additional view you can switch on or off to filter through the clutter of incoming messages."

The AI Inbox feature is being released to a group of trusted testers initially, with a wider rollout planned in the coming months. With the new AI Overviews in Gmail search, users can now pose questions in everyday language to quickly find answers, moving beyond traditional keyword searches and the need to open numerous emails. For example, asking "Who was the plumber that gave me a quote for the bathroom renovation last year" will trigger an AI Overview that extracts relevant details from your emails and emphasizes the key information.

Blake added, "We examine every email in your inbox to provide answers directly at the top. Similar to AI Overviews in Google Search, you can ask natural language questions for an AI-generated response. However, in Gmail, the model depends entirely on your own emails—your personal memory bank—to create that response."

This new search capability is being made available to Google AI Pro and Ultra subscribers. Google emphasizes that all of Gmail's AI features are optional, that personal content is not used to train its core models, and that personal data is processed in a fully isolated environment. Regarding the Proofread feature, Google states it is designed to enhance your writing by evaluating drafts to improve clarity and structure. It provides one-click recommendations for better word choice, brevity, active voice, and simplifying complex sentences.

For instance, a phrase like "might inflict disturbance" would be suggested to change to "might disturb." It will also identify incorrect word usage, such as "weather" instead of "whether." This tool closely mirrors popular proofreading services, and by offering its own version, Google likely aims to reduce reliance on external tools or pasting emails into ChatGPT for corrections. Proofread is rolling out to paid Google AI Pro and Ultra subscribers.

While these new features are launching for select users, Google has announced that Gmail's "Help Me Write," AI Overviews for threaded emails, and "Suggested Replies" are now being extended to all users, having previously been limited to paying subscribers. Help Me Write assists in composing emails from a simple prompt, AI Overviews for threaded emails summarize lengthy email chains, and Suggested Replies use conversation context to propose responses that align with your tone and style.