Google is overhauling Gmail with new Gemini AI features – here’s how to turn them off

Google has announced plans for deeper AI integration within Gmail to help users automate inboxes and tell you what to do next – though this iteration of AI Overviews is hopefully more successful at summarizing your emails than Google has been with search.

The tech giant revealed its Gemini AI will be set loose on Gmail inboxes to build an automated to-do list for users, as well as help dig out useful information from emails via search, and craft automated replies.

The AI-powered systems will first be available in the US in English, with wider availability across languages and regions in the coming months.

"Your inbox is full of important information, but accessing it has required you to become a power searcher," said Blake Barnes, VP of Product for Gmail, in a blog post.

"And even when you find the right emails, you are often left staring at a list of messages, forced to dig through the text to piece together the answer. That’s why we’re introducing AI Overviews."

AI Overviews is the same system used to generate summaries in response to Google search queries – which has been criticized since its launch for misleading information.

When it arrived in Search in 2024, AI Overviews was spotted telling people to glue cheese to pizza or eat rocks – and the challenges have continued, with recent reports that AI Overviews is offering misleading health advice.

How AI Overviews in Gmail will work

In Gmail, AI Overviews will have two primary functions: synthesizing an email conversation into a summary of key points and searching through an inbox to find information.

To use the latter, users simply have to ask a question in the Gmail inbox search bar, Barnes explained.

"Instead of hunting for keywords or digging through a year of emails, just use natural language, like 'Who was the plumber that gave me a quote for the bathroom renovation last year'?" he noted.

"Gemini’s advanced reasoning pulls the answer, instantly summarizing the exact details you need."

Both AI Overview functions are rolling out to Gmail immediately, though the inbox questions feature is only available to Google AI Pro and Ultra Subscribers, while the conversation summaries are available to all Gmail users at no cost.

Google also is testing a new AI Inbox, initially only for "trusted testers" before wider availability in the next few months. This will automatically summarize your messages and pull together a to-do list.

"AI Inbox is like having a personalized briefing, highlighting to-dos and catching you up on what matters," said Barnes. "This lets high-stakes items — like a bill due tomorrow or a dentist reminder — rise to the top."

AI-powered email writing tools are coming to Gmail

Google noted that AI Overviews isn't the first time that AI has been applied to Gmail, as it's been used to power spam blocking systems and to generate Smart Replies.

Indeed, alongside the addition of AI Overviews for searching messages, Google also introduced "Help Me Write", a tool to create or edit emails, as well as "Suggested Replies," which is an update to Smart Replies.

"Suggested Replies can instantly draft an initial response in your tone and style, leaving you free to refine it before giving it your approval," said Barnes. "You can also use the new Proofread feature for advanced grammar, tone and style checks so everything is polished before you send."

The combination of AI Overview summaries of emails paired with Suggested Replies and Help Me Write raises the specter of messages being read by AI and responded to by AI, with only a quick glance and tap of a button by humans.

Help Me Write and Suggested Replies are available to everyone at no cost, while the Proofread tool is being held back for Google AI Pro and Ultra subscribers.

Can you turn off Gmail’s AI features?

Beyond AI Overviews' advice to eat rocks, it's worth noting that generative AI systems continue to make mistakes, so business users – and anyone else – should be aware that accuracy is not guaranteed.

And that's a problem with AI being added to tools, Google or otherwise, without users requesting or desiring them.

This new tranche of AI tools for Gmail are initially only available to American users, but once they start rolling out more widely, it will be possible to turn them off – though that will also mean users lose key tools like spell checking, according to reports from The Verge.

Existing AI features can be managed in Settings in Google Workspace. ITPro approached Google asking for additional details on how to disable the features, but did not receive a response by time of publication.

FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA

Make sure to follow ITPro on Google News to keep tabs on all our latest news, analysis, and reviews.

You can also follow ITPro on LinkedIn, X, Facebook, and BlueSky.