Gmail’s search can be frustrating and basic, but Google is finally smartening it up for AI plan subscribers with the release of Gmail Live. Now out of beta after being announced at Google I/O last month, the AI feature allows you to search your inbox using conversational voice commands. It’s similar to live voice chats with the Gemini chatbot, but customized for popular apps like Gmail, Docs and Drive, with each getting its own version of the functionality.
The feature, Google says, allows you to find details in buried in emails without digging through endless threads. “Use conversational search to find information just by asking things like, ‘What’s my flight’s gate number?’ or ‘What’s going on at my kid’s school this week?’ and Gmail Live will scan your inbox and give you answers quickly,” Google explains.
Similar functionality is also coming to documents and notes with Docs Live and Keep Live. Docs Live lets you tell Gemini what kind of document you want and allow it to pull relevant details from Gmail, Drive, Chat and the broader web. It will then structure the document to create a first draft, while helping you refine your tone, as Google shows in the short video above.
Keep Live, meanwhile, “turns brain dumps into organized notes.” Normally, the app is used to jot down an idea before you forget it, but Keep Live is designed to “capture, structure and refine your ideas into organized, actionable notes,” the company wrote. The new voice feature processes your voice commands in the background, “turning your thoughts into structured lists and notes without you having to type a single word.”
In its video example, Google cites a person saying “I promised my son I would paint his room this weekend… I’m going to need a list of instructions as well as supplies.” With this info, Keep Live replies “Preparing your painting note now,” and proceeds to generate a shopping list and how-to guide as requested.
The new features are rolling out this week in Gmail and Keep, but only for Google AI Plus, Pro and Ultra subscribers, with Docs limited to Pro and Ultra subscribers. All of the features are also “coming soon” for Google Workspace business customers.
