Google Workspace users are set to get their hands on a host of new AI-powered features aimed at further improving productivity and security.
The popular workplace collaboration software has become a mainstay of organizations around the world and is arguably the most cost-effective and intuitive platform available to business users, according to ITPro review from 2023.
Google first loaded Workspace with AI features in August last year with the integration of its now-defunct Duet AI model, which has since been renamed Gemini.
Hailed as a potential game-changer by the company at the time, the Duet integration offered all the basic AI-powered features touted over the past year, such as automatic call transcriptions and meeting summaries complete with highlighted “action points.”
With the latest changes, AI features will be more deeply integrated across the Workspace portfolio, spanning Meet, Docs, Gmail, and Chat.
This includes a new 'take notes for me' for Meet, currently available in preview, which Google says will allow users to “drop the pen and lean into the conversation instead of taking notes.”
Similarly, the 'translate for me', coming in June, will automatically detect and translate subtitles in Meet. This new feature will offer support for up to 69 languages.
Later in 2024, an influx of AI features for Google Chat is also planned. This, the company said, will provide automatic message translation and on-demand conversation summaries from the app.
The pricing of these new features will likely be key to appeal among larger companies. Google said they will be available as an add-on for $10 per user per month.
However, this represents a significant increase in price given that it is an add-on option, meaning smaller businesses using Workspace might struggle to see tangible value. The firm said they can be added to “most Workspace plans.”
More AI security features coming to Google Workspace
Google also revealed a number of new AI features focused on security and data protection for Workspace. This will also come in the form of an add-on for Workspace that leverages artificial intelligence to help IT teams “automatically classify and protect sensitive files” in Google Drive.
This new capability uses “privacy-preserving AI models” trained with internal data to protect new and existing files.
New Gmail features are also expected, including the extension of DLP controls and classification labels to the email service. This feature is currently in beta, the company added.
Finally, tools to protect against quantum cyber attacks will also be added to Gmail. Google said this will offer “experimental support for post-quantum cryptography” in client-side encryption.
Do the new Google Workspace features offer anything really different?
Bobby Hellard
Bobby Hellard is ITPro's Reviews Editor and has worked at CloudPro and ChannelPro since 2018.
The emergence of generative AI more than 18 months ago sparked a flurry of activity in the productivity software space, and Google is now firmly locked in a battle of attrition with Microsoft and Slack to differentiate Workspace and its AI features.
At first glance, this appears to be an exciting time for users, who, regardless of which provider they choose, will be guaranteed powerful new tools to boost productivity and reduce the stress of daily work.
But the reality is that everything is very similar. All of the providers mentioned above offer roughly the same features, such as meeting summarization, automated call transcription tools, and workflow optimization support.
If Google really wants to differentiate itself from Microsoft 365 and Slack, it may need more than just occasional shiny new features to tempt users away from its provider in the long term.
Cost will also be another impediment. With new Workspace features powered by Google's Gemini in the form of an expensive add-on, many smaller businesses could be left out from a financial perspective.
AI is certainly revolutionizing the productivity software space, but vendors must tread carefully and avoid scaring away potential business customers with burdensome costs.
