Google said more than three billion users currently rely on Gmail, which was first launched in 2004.

In a blog post, the company said email usage has evolved significantly over the years. “Email has changed considerably since Gmail launched in 2004. With email volume at an all-time high, managing your inbox and the flow of information has become as important as the emails themselves,” Google said. “To help, we’re bringing Gmail into the Gemini era and making it your personal, proactive inbox assistant.”

Explaining the introduction of AI Overviews, Google said users often struggle to quickly access key information buried in long email threads. “Your inbox is full of important information, but accessing it has required you to become a power searcher,” the company said. “That’s why we’re introducing AI Overviews.”

According to Google, AI Overviews will summarise information into clear answers, reducing the need for users to scroll through lengthy conversations. “When you open an email with dozens of replies, Gmail synthesizes the entire conversation into a concise summary of key points,” the blog post said.

Google clarified that the new AI features will be available free of charge to users.

In addition, users can now access the ‘Help Me Write’ feature to draft emails from scratch or refine existing messages. “Help Me Write and Suggested Replies are rolling out to everyone at no cost,” Google said, adding that the Proofread feature will be available to Google AI Pro and Ultra subscribers.

The company also announced that from next month, the Help Me Write feature will receive enhanced personalisation by drawing context from users’ other Google apps.