The “Gemini Era” in Gmail: New AI Features and How to Use Them
Google has officially rolled out a massive update for Gmail, transitioning it from a simple storage and search service into a proactive “AI Command Center.” These features are powered by Gemini 3, the latest and most advanced AI model available in 2026.
1. Core New Features
AI Overviews for Inboxes: Similar to AI in Google Search, Gmail now places a concise summary at the top of long email threads. This synthesizes key decisions and action items so you don’t have to scroll through dozens of replies.
AI Inbox (Personalized Briefing): A new “AI Inbox” tab organizes your emails into “priority clusters.” Instead of a simple list, it shows a briefing of high-stakes items like upcoming bills, meeting reminders, or “VIP” messages from frequent contacts.
Contextual Suggested Replies: Unlike the old three-word “Smart Replies,” these new suggestions use the full context of the conversation to draft realistic, multi-sentence responses that match your writing style.
Advanced Writing Tools:
Help Me Write: Drafts entire emails from simple prompts.
Proofread: A premium tool that goes beyond spellcheck to suggest improvements in tone, grammar, and sentence structure.
Search with Natural Language: You can now ask Gmail direct questions in the search bar, such as “Who was the plumber that gave me a quote last year?” or “When does my flight land?” and get an instant, summarized answer.
2. Feature Availability & Pricing
| Feature | Availability | Requirements |
| Email Summaries | Free for Everyone | No subscription needed |
| Help Me Write | Free for Everyone | No subscription needed |
| Suggested Replies | Free for Everyone | No subscription needed |
| Inbox Q&A (Natural Language) | Premium Only | Google AI Pro or Ultra Plan |
| Advanced Proofread Tool | Premium Only | Google AI Pro or Ultra Plan |
| AI Inbox (Briefing Mode) | Premium Only | Currently for “Trusted Testers” |
3. How to Activate (or Deactivate) These Features
By default, Google has enabled these tools for most of its 3 billion users. If you want to manage them:
Open Gmail and click the Settings (gear icon).
Go to the General tab.
Look for “Smart Features and Personalization.”
Note: Turning these off will also disable legacy features like autocorrect, desktop notifications, and automatic package tracking.
4. Privacy & Data Security
Google has stated that while Gemini processes your inbox data to provide summaries and answer questions, it stays behind a secure privacy barrier. Importantly, Google does not use your personal Gmail content to train its public AI models.