Google is bringing its Duet AI to Google Workspace, with options starting from automated summarization of paperwork to one thing you’ll most likely actually respect: a digital avatar that may attend conferences for you when you’ll be able to’t make it.

Unfortunately, Duet AI for Google Workspace is only for companies proper now, who might be requested to pay for it: $30 per person monthly, the identical value Microsoft costs for its personal Microsoft 365 Copilot AI choices for companies. Aparna Pappu, Google Workspace’s vp and basic supervisor, told CNBC {that a} shopper model will arrive subsequent 12 months.

Some of those options have been announced at Google I/O in May, however are arriving on Workspace for the primary time.

Still, the options look intriguing. In Meet, for instance, AI is getting used to robotically regulate lighting and audio, which Google calls “studio lighting” and “studio sound.” If you’re in a gathering room, AI can even acknowledge you and offer you your individual “tile” inside Meet, in order that any distant person can extra simply decide you out.

It’s the extra superior options, although, that promise that you simply’ll be capable of “work,” even on a sick day. Not solely can Duet seize notes and generate summaries of the assembly (even in actual time) however an “attend for me” characteristic will be capable of be a part of the assembly for you,” delivering your message” and securing a recap to evaluate later. It sounds like several avatar might be much less of a digital you than a voice mail message of types, however at the very least you’ll be capable of direct colleagues and obtain their responses with out having to dial in.

Google

Gmail, too, is including some AI options, a few of which it’s tipped off before. One specifically sounds useful: improved, longer automated replies. It’s common for Gmail (or Word, or Outlook) to counsel phrases and phrases as you sort, however Gmail will now even add longer, customized replies to save lots of time. This characteristic will come first to Gmail cell, adopted shortly by a contextual characteristic that can “fill in” colleagues by identify. Likewise, Google Chat now affords the power to speak “directly” to Duet, although that’s a characteristic that Microsoft, Slack, and others have already carried out.

Otherwise, Workspace is including options which have been talked about earlier than, from Microsoft and elsewhere: synthesizing a number of paperwork, for instance, to create summaries. Google says that these summaries can contains textual content, charts, and pictures, although it’s not clear whether or not Duet will create them on the fly or they’ll merely be pulled in from present paperwork.

Google can also be including particular options to its Workspace elements that aren’t barnburners, however that really feel significantly useful: In Sheets, for instance, Duet’s AI will attempt to assign a label to a column of information for those who haven’t already given it one, making an attempt to save lots of you a while. You also can use AI to give you a plan or mission that will help you get organized, which you’ll be able to additional refine. In Docs, Google says, Duet is sensible sufficient to robotically generate job postings, primarily based upon what it is aware of of the group.

Google

Some of the brand new options really feel moderately blah, particularly after Microsoft announced similar capabilities in Microsoft 365 Copilot: Meet can auto-generate an AI background, for instance, and Google Slides can do the identical for a customized background. But that simply goes to indicate you ways far AI has come. Consumers will simply have to attend a bit longer.