by Google is deepening its push toward generative AI, unveiling features Tuesday that will let users create text in Gmail and Docs using the company’s AI technology.
The company is testing the AI products and making them accessible to a limited number of Workspace users, which includes Gmail and Google productivity tools.
“Whether you’re a busy HR professional needing to create custom job descriptions, or a parent drafting your child’s pirate-themed birthday party invitation, Workspace saves you the time and effort of writing that first version,” Johanna Voolich Wright, Google Workspace’s vice president of product, wrote in a blog post. “Simply type a topic you’d like to write about and a draft will be instantly generated for you.”
generative AI has been the hottest topic in tech this year after San Francisco startup OpenAI introduced the GPT chatbot in November and watched it quickly go viral. ChatGPT allows users to ask a question or make a request and respond with responses that are surprisingly sophisticated and creative. Major tech companies are now rushing to build similar capabilities into their own products.
With Google’s test, a user can go to a text box in an email and type “team email draft.” The app will spit out a three-paragraph thank you note that the user can edit, elaborate on, or turn into a bulleted list. The user can also ask the program to try again.
Google has more than 3 billion Workspace users. That includes consumers and businesses, who pay for subscriptions.
Google’s main rival in the market is Microsoft 365, the productivity package that, until October 2022, it was called Office 365. Microsoft, a major investor in OpenAI, will discuss productivity and artificial intelligence software at an online event hosted on LinkedIn Thursday.
A Google spokesperson told CNBC that the company is providing early access to the new features to consumers, as well as some business and educational users. The company did not say when it will release the capabilities in general, nor did it say whether the additional features will be included in existing packages or will cost extra.
Google said later this year it plans to bring additional AI features to Workspace, including formula generation in Sheets, auto-generated images in Slides, and note-taking in Meet.
The company recently instituted a “code red” alert for employees to respond to ChatGPT. Last month, Google said that add AI features to your dominant internet search engine. Separately Tuesday, Google Cloud CEO Thomas Kurian said the company has begun testing a service for building corporate chatbots. The cloud business includes Workspace.
“We are very excited about the potential of generative AI and the opportunities it will open up,” Kurian wrote. Kurian said the technology will help people express themselves, empower developers with new apps and change “the way businesses…. constituents.”
