"Bringing Gmail To Gemini Era": Google's Sundar Pichai Announces AI Update

Over two decades after Gmail changed how the world uses email, Google is once again reinventing its flagship service, this time by incorporating artificial intelligence. Google and Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai confirmed the rollout on social media.

“We launched Gmail on April Fool's Day in 2004. 20+ years later, we're bringing Gmail into the Gemini era,” Pichai wrote on X.

We launched Gmail on April Fool's Day in 2004. 20+ years later, we're bringing Gmail into the Gemini era.

AI Overviews, Suggested personalized replies, Proof read, AI Inbox with new streamlined views and suggested topics to catch-up on and loads more, read the full details…

— Sundar Pichai (@sundarpichai) January 8, 2026

The overhaul introduces AI-powered tools designed to help users write better emails, summarise long conversations, manage overflowing inboxes, and even surface daily to-do lists automatically, Pichai said.

More than 3 billion people currently use Gmail worldwide.

Why Google Is Reworking Gmail Now

The company said the new features respond to the growing complexity of email, with inbox volumes at record levels and critical information often buried in long threads. While Gmail has long relied on AI for spam filtering and smart replies, Google says the focus is now shifting from managing emails to managing information. The new update, powered largely by Gemini 3, aims to address that problem.

Gmail's New 'AI Overviews' Feature

One of the additions is AI Overviews. This feature automatically summarises long email threads into concise briefs, picking out key points and decisions.

Users can also ask Gmail questions in plain language, like “Who sent me an electrician's quote last year?”, and Gemini will provide direct answers rather than a list of emails. Conversation summaries are free for all users, while the question-and-answer feature will be available to Google AI Pro and Ultra subscribers.

Gmail's New Writing Tools

Gmail's writing tools are also getting smarter:

• ‘Help Me Write' drafts or refines emails, learning a user's style to personalise suggestions.
• ‘Suggested Replies' offer context-aware, one-click responses that match the user's tone.
• ‘Proofread' checks grammar, tone, and style to ensure professional and polished emails.

Help Me Write and Suggested Replies are free, while Proofread will be limited to AI Pro and Ultra subscribers. Future updates will allow the tools to pull context from other Google apps for more personalised assistance.

Gmail's New AI Inbox

The new AI Inbox acts like a personalised briefing that focuses on important emails and prioritises tasks. It identifies key messages based on frequent contacts, inferred relationships, and message content, while keeping user data secure.

The tool helps users stay on top of critical tasks like bills, appointments, or deadlines, and is currently being tested with a limited group before a wider release.

The Gmail AI update, powered by Gemini 3, is rolling out first in English in the US. Google plans to expand support to additional languages and regions later this year.