It seems Google is pretty happy with the state of its Gemini model at the moment because it’s inserting AI features into every product it has lately. This time, Workspace is getting the AI refresh, with new features coming to Docs, Sheets, Vids, Meet, and Chat — along with a new “agentic AI” feature called Workspace Flows.
Docs Updates
First up, Docs is getting new audio and AI writing capabilities. The podcast feature first used in NotebookLM received a lot of praise, and now it’s starting to appear in more places. It came to Gemini a few weeks ago, and now it’s coming to Google Docs in a few weeks.
If you haven’t heard about it, audio overviews are basically AI-generated summaries of your document but presented in a new way — instead of text, you get a podcast hosted by two AI personas. Google says it’s had great feedback and there are plenty of people online talking about how great it is for multitasking.
As well as the podcast-style overviews, you can also get an audio version of your document as is. This is meant to help you spot any weird phrasing in your writing or check through a document without actually sitting down and reading it.
The second feature for Docs is Help me refine, which Google says is more than just a text-generating tool. Instead, the model offers “thoughtful suggestions” to improve both your language and the content of your writing — encouraging you to engage in the process and develop your skills as a writer and communicator.
Google Sheets Feature
Moving on to the other features, there is the Help me analyze bot in Google Sheets, built to help you spot patterns and interesting trends in your data that you might have missed. It can point you in the right direction if you’re not sure how to get the results you want.
Other Updates
Vids is also getting access to in-app video generation, and Meet is adding a personal in-meeting advisor to help you catch up on discussions you missed or draft a point you want to make before saying it. In Chat, Gemini will soon be available for you to @ and ask for a summary.
Lastly, Workspace is getting access to its own AI agents known as Gems, allowing teams to build new automatic processes that help streamline work. These agents can look at the documents in your Drive for context and guidance to inform decisions.
It looks like there will be a staggered release for all of these features, with most coming in the next couple of weeks or months, and the Sheets feature coming later in the year.
