Gmail is getting a new AI inbox as Google brings Gemini front and center

What you need to know

• Google is revamping Gmail with Gemini-powered tools to improve writing, searching, and how emails are summarized and surfaced.
• Gemini features like personalized Suggested Replies and Help Me Write are expanding to all Gmail users at no extra cost.
• Gmail is getting AI Overviews that let users ask natural language questions and receive concise summaries from emails.
• A new AI Inbox will highlight to-dos, important emails, and priorities instead of showing a simple chronological list.

Google today (Jan. 8) announced a major revamp of Gmail, calling it an experience built for the Gemini era. With these updates, the company is making it easier to write emails, search through your inbox, and view messages in a new format we have not seen before.

Google has already integrated Gemini into Gmail for some time, but until now, it has been limited to paid Gemini users. With the upcoming changes, Google is expanding select Gemini-powered features, including personalized Suggested Replies and Help Me Write, to all Gmail users at no additional cost.

AI Overviews come to Gmail

The biggest update, however, is the arrival of AI Overviews in Gmail. Similar to how AI Overviews work in Google Search, Gemini will now scan relevant emails and generate concise summaries in response to natural language questions. Google says this will allow users to quickly surface key information without manually digging through messages.

In addition to search, AI Overviews will also show up in individual threads, showing you a quick summary of the conversation.

For example, instead of searching for keywords, you can ask questions like "What size shoes did I order recently from Amazon?" and Gemini will generate an AI Overview with the answer. The ability to ask questions and view AI Overviews in Gmail is rolling out today, but only for Google AI Pro and Ultra subscribers.

The new AI Inbox wants to tell you what matters

Perhaps even bigger news is the introduction of a new "AI Inbox" alongside the existing inbox view. Rather than listing emails chronologically, AI Inbox will offer a personalized briefing that highlights to-dos and surfaces what matters most.

If you have a pending bill or an upcoming dentist appointment, for instance, it will be flagged automatically and shown as a priority in the AI Inbox. Emails from important contacts and people you interact with most frequently will also be prioritized in this new view.

Google says all analysis used to power AI Inbox is handled securely and follows its standard privacy protections. The AI Inbox feature is currently limited to trusted testers, with Google saying it is planning to make it more broadly available "in the coming months."