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After rolling out numerous Gemini AI features as standard offerings within Google Workspace, Google executives emphasize that this initiative is a significant stride towards implementing AI agents across various organizations utilizing its cloud productivity platform, which encompasses widely-used applications such as Google Drive, Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Meet, Google Sheets, and Google Slides.
With approximately 8 million subscribers, Google Workspace dominates the cloud work apps market, holding an impressive 84.95% market share, as reported by Thrive, an online marketing firm.
Aparna Pappu, who serves as vice president and general manager of Google Workspace, explained that the company is adopting a “crawl, walk, run” strategy to expand access to AI agents.
“Imagine the introduction of agents as a progression of foundational elements where users train their assistants to understand their working styles,” Pappu remarked during a question-and-answer session with reporters and analysts at the recent Gemini at Work event in New York. “Our goal is to develop well-trained assistants, which will evolve into fully-fledged agents.”
In a recent announcement, Google confirmed that its standalone Gemini chat application, driven by the Gemini AI model, is now integrated into the Workspace suite for Business, Enterprise, and Frontline paid accounts.
The Gemini feature within Workspace enables users to request summary overviews of their Gmail emails, retrieve information from various documents saved on Google Drive, or compose natural language prompts in Sheets to create tailored charts.
Unlike some platforms that aim at niche functionalities, particularly in sales or marketing where AI agents are emerging, Google Workspace caters to a broad spectrum of users.
Pappu highlighted that the concept of agents within Workspace has been under consideration for quite some time. She referenced the Chip AI Teammate, which was showcased at Google’s I/O developer conference in May.
“We presented AI Teammates at Google I/O as an AI companion designed to handle specific tasks. Our eventual goal is to scale this within enterprises, which we believe is facilitated by Workspace,” Pappu stated.
Additionally, Google plans to gradually introduce Gemini-powered workflow automation tools within Workspace starting in October.
These workflow automation features would enable users to configure automatic processes capable of scanning emails or documents, categorizing them, and executing actions autonomously.
For instance, if a user receives an invoice via email, Gemini would recognize its financial context and route it to the relevant department for payment processing.
This type of workflow management serves as a crucial foundational element for the development of AI agents.
The emergence of AI agents has become a focal point for businesses striving to enhance employee productivity. Just in the last month, several organizations have unveiled their versions of AI agents or collaborative connections. Slack, for example, has integrated AI agents from Salesforce, Asana, Cohere, Workday, Adobe Express, and Writer. Meanwhile, ServiceNow has also launched its own set of AI agents for client use.
Meta announced its plans to empower users to create agents within WhatsApp or Messenger to field questions and provide answers.
It is hardly surprising that a major entity like Google is extending AI agent access to its extensive customer base.
Numerous businesses, ranging from startups to large corporations, rely on Google’s suite of Workspace tools for their email, document handling, and spreadsheet tasks, alongside other Google Cloud solutions that link with customer management systems.
Google’s investment in AI-driven productivity solutions reflects its commitment to enhancing efficiency across a diverse range of sectors.
During the Gemini at Work event, Google aimed to showcase how its premier AI models have resulted in significant time savings for clients.
“We are starting to receive feedback from users indicating improvements in employee retention and overall job satisfaction due to their engagement with Gemini,” Pappu shared. “It’s not only about the hours saved; it’s also about alleviating the burden of mundane tasks.”
According to Google, enterprises leveraging Gemini—whether within Workspace or independently—have experienced enhanced productivity, significantly reducing time spent on routine activities such as coding translations.
Pappu concluded by noting that Gemini has empowered even small businesses to become more competitive, as they can access specialized knowledge without the need for external consulting services.
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venturebeat.com