The update also expands Google’s “Help Me Write” tool, which has previously been a premium feature in Gmail but is now being made available to all users. It also gains enhanced tone-matching functionality, Google said, which means it’s capable of mimicking the user’s writing style to make its suggested emails more realistic.

Previously seen (not always positively) in Google Search, AI Overviews are now coming to Gmail. Working in an almost-identical fashion, the feature will be able to quick find and condense information from a range of sources (in this case, your emails) into a brief and (hopefully useful) summary.

Gmail is rolling out natural language queries with AI Overviews and the new Proofread feature for premium users to simplify your life.

The aim is to transform Gmail from a traditional inbox into what Google describes as a “personal, proactive inbox assistant.”

The new AI features announced Thursday could herald a pivotal moment for Gmail, a service that transformed email when it was introduced nearly 22 years ago. Since then, Gmail has amassed more than 3 billion users to become nearly as ubiquitous as Google's search engine.

The new tools include AI summaries of email conversations, a new AI inbox mode, and the ability to get help drafting emails. While many of these features sound useful, they also seem like another example of AI slowly creeping,