Google unveils new AI tools across Workspace & Gemini

Google has unveiled new artificial intelligence tools for Workspace and Gemini, spanning voice features, image editing, email management and an AI agent.

The updates extend across Gmail, Docs, Keep, Slides, Drive and the Gemini app. They target both consumer subscribers and Workspace business customers through a mix of launches, previews and limited testing.

Among the most immediate changes are new voice functions in Gmail, Docs and Keep, designed to let users speak naturally to search for information, shape ideas and turn rough notes into more organised content.

In Gmail, a feature called Gmail Live lets users ask spoken questions about messages in their inbox, such as requesting a flight gate number or a summary of school-related updates.

Docs Live is positioned as a spoken drafting and brainstorming tool. It can organise a user's verbal input into a draft and, with permission, pull in details from Gmail, Drive, Chat and the web.

Keep is also getting a voice-led update, allowing users to record a stream of thoughts and have the app convert it into notes and lists.

These voice features are rolling out to Google AI Pro and Ultra subscribers and are also available in preview to Google Workspace business customers.

Image editing

Google also introduced Google Pics, a new image creation and editing app built on what it calls its Nano Banana model. The tool is aimed at generating new visuals and editing existing images without restarting the process for minor changes.

The app includes object segmentation, allowing users to select and alter one part of an image while leaving the rest unchanged. This could include moving an object, resizing it or changing its appearance.

It also supports editing and translating text inside an image while maintaining the original design and font style, making it easier to repurpose visual material for different uses and languages.

Another element is collaboration: Pics will include shareable canvases so multiple users can edit the same image at the same time.

Workspace integration is also part of the plan. Pics will first connect with Slides and Drive, allowing users to edit images inside those products rather than switching to a separate workflow.

Google Pics is initially being released to a limited group of Trusted Testers. Wider availability is planned for Google AI Pro and Ultra subscribers, while Workspace business customers will get it in preview.

Inbox focus

Gmail is also getting an expansion of AI Inbox, a feature Google had already introduced for inbox management. The latest update broadens access to Google AI Plus and Pro subscribers in the US and adds more action-based functions.

These include personalised draft replies for emails that need a quick response, surfaced links to related Google Docs, Sheets or Slides, and task controls that let users mark items as done, dismiss suggestions or mark all emails in a topic as read.

AI Inbox had previously been available to Google AI Ultra subscribers and in preview to Google Workspace Enterprise Plus customers. The wider rollout suggests Google is trying to move AI-assisted email tools beyond a narrower group of early or premium users.

Agent model

The broadest product shift may be Gemini Spark, a new AI agent inside the Gemini app. Google describes it as a 24/7 personal AI agent that can help users manage digital tasks and take actions on their behalf under user direction.

That marks a move beyond the question-and-answer model that has defined many consumer AI assistants. Spark is designed to request confirmation before carrying out higher-stakes actions such as sending emails or adding calendar events.

For business users, Gemini Spark in Google Workspace will be available in preview in the Gemini app. That places the product in the increasingly competitive market for AI agents that can operate across productivity software rather than simply generate text or summarise information.

Google framed the announcement around the scale of Workspace's installed base, saying more than 4 billion users rely on products such as Gmail, Docs and Drive. By putting AI features directly inside those services, it is seeking to deepen use of subscription tiers while embedding AI into routines many office workers already follow.

The updates also show how Google is dividing access across its paid consumer plans and enterprise offerings. Some functions are reserved for Ultra subscribers, others are available to Pro and Plus users, and several are being tested with business customers before broader release.

That tiered approach mirrors a wider pattern across the technology sector, where AI features are being used both to support premium pricing and to create product differences between consumer and workplace software.

In Google's case, the additions span practical office tasks such as drafting documents, sorting email and editing slide images, while also introducing a more autonomous assistant model through Gemini Spark. It is designed to ask for confirmation before performing high-stakes actions such as sending emails or adding calendar events.