Sometimes when you’re staring at a blank email, you just don’t know what to say. That’s where a new Gmail feature called “Help Me Write” comes in handy. The AI-powered tool allows you to compose an entire email or paragraph based on limited input. Google says the feature will help users get their point across quickly and effectively.
The company announced the tool during its annual Google I/O 2023 event on Wednesday. It’s designed to assist you in Gmail and Google Docs, and it will use your own words as well as relevant information to create a draft. In a demo, the feature showed off by creating a job post for a regional sales rep based on a user’s description of the position. The AI system then completes the full text for the user in a few seconds, and they can edit or modify it as needed.
Similarly, the feature can also rewrite an existing message or conversation in a different style. This can be used to make an email sound more positive, or it can be used to make the text longer or shorter. The tool also makes an effort to incorporate contextual information from other emails or conversations. For instance, it will automatically fill in the name of the person you are contacting or the subject matter of the message.
The feature is already available to some iPhone and Anroid users. According to 9to5Google, the tool is rolling out to testers in the Workspace Labs program on both Gmail for Android and iOS. You’ll need to sign up for the program to receive access. Google notes that it will read, annotate and process the data from your Workspace Labs interactions, so you should avoid typing in anything too personal or sensitive.
Google has been a big proponent of AI writing assistance, and it was one of the main features highlighted during the I/O keynote. However, some experts are concerned that the software could lead to errors or even plagiarism. Regardless, the technology continues to gain traction, and it’s likely that more of these tools will appear in the future.
