Google reveals plans to add generative AI features to Gmail and Docs; no mention of Bard

On Thursday, March 16, Microsoft will hold an online event where it's expected that the company will reveal details of how it will add generative AI features to its Office apps. Today, its productivity app rival, Google, is trying to beat Microsoft to the punch with some new generative AI features that it plans to add to its Workspace apps like Gmail and Docs.

Google stated:

Blank pages can stump the best of us. That’s why we’re embedding generative AI in Docs and Gmail to help people get started writing. Whether you’re a busy HR professional who needs to create customized job descriptions, or a parent drafting the invitation for your child’s pirate-themed birthday party, Workspace saves you the time and effort of writing that first version. Simply type a topic you’d like to write about, and a draft will instantly be generated for you. With your collaborative AI partner you can continue to refine and edit, getting more suggestions as needed.

Google plans to adding these features to Gmail and Docs for a limited set of "trusted testers" in the US later in March and will slowly expand the feature to more users in the coming months. Google also says these new features will be under the company's AI principles.

In another blog post, Google offered up more info on how generative AI will help in other parts of the company. That includes a new Generative AI App Builder, which will allow businesses and governments to create their own apps with conversational AI.

Neither one of Google's blog posts today mentioned Bard, the chatbot AI that Google first announced in February. The demo of Bard came under heavy criticism from the press, and even reportedly some Google employees after it showed some factual errors. Google has reportedly backtracked a bit after that demo, telling employees that Bard is not meant to be a replacement for its Search services. The chatbot is still in internal testing at Google and there's no word when public testing might begin.

Google reveals plans to add generative AI features to Gmail and Docs; no mention of Bard