Google Workspace just got a huge Gemini update: Here’s what to expect with new AI features in Docs, Slides, Sheets, and Drive

Google has unveiled a raft of updates to Google Workspace, adding even more Gemini AI features to Docs, Sheets, Slides and Drive.

The new features, released just days after Microsoft unveiled its own productivity upgrade based on Anthropic's Claude Cowork, remain in early availability for specific users ahead of a wider release in the next few months.

As part of the overhaul, Google revealed Gemini will have even greater access to user data, framing the AI tool as a collaborative partner to "help you get things done, faster".

"When you select your sources, Gemini can now pull relevant information from your files, emails and the web to securely connect dots and uncover useful insights, while keeping your information safeguarded," said Yulie Kwon Kim, VP of Product for Google Workspace, in a blog post.

The features will be immediately available to Gemini Alpha business customers as well as Google AI Ultra and Pro subscribers, the company said, with availability limited initially to English users for Docs, Sheets and Slides, and US users for Drive.

Google noted that all the new features follow existing enterprise-grade data protections.

Here’s what users can expect from the new Gemini Workspace upgrades.

Google Docs

New Gemini-powered tools for Google Docs are designed to help users overcome "the dread of the flashing cursor", according to Kim – in other words, the panic felt facing a blank document and not knowing where to start.

To address that, Google has introduced a "Help me create" tool, which lives in the side panel or the new bottom bar in Docs.

"Simply describe what you want to create and Gemini will follow your instructions, synthesizing information from your Drive, Gmail, Chat, and the web to generate a relevant, fully formatted first draft," Kim said.

For example, Google said users can ask Gemini to draft a newsletter based on meeting minutes, including a list of upcoming events or create a marketing campaign based on previous ones. Thereafter, Gemini will draw upon Workspace data to figure out how to structure and style the document.

That will create a draft document, not a finished article, with Gemini able to suggest copy edits or add additional context or information when asked.

"These edits remain private until you approve them, keeping you in full control," Kim said.

One new copy editing tool is "Match writing style", which aims to "unify" the tone of a document that's been developed by multiple co-workers. That can also be used to match a new document to previous ones to help match the company brand.

Google Sheets

As with Docs, the new Sheets tool is designed to help begin or edit a project in natural language.

"It then orchestrates the complex, multi-step construction from start to finish, synthesizing data across your files, emails, and chat, and the web," Kim explained.

With spreadsheets, accuracy is key, and Google said Gemini in Google Sheets has an accuracy rate on an industry benchmark of 70% – which may not sound impressive, but "nears human expert ability", Kim said.

For example, Google suggested a small business could ask for a quick view of last year's finances. Gemini can “construct a plan” for users to approve, retrieve relevant information, and structure the data in a “well-formatted spreadsheet with stylized tables and charts”, Kim noted.

Any missing or additional data can be plugged in automatically via "Fill with Gemini", using existing sheets or the web.

Taking it a step further, Gemini can also be applied to existing sheets to address more analytical tasks, such as optimization problems. Rather than stacking together complex manual formulas, users can describe their goals and rules in natural language and let Gemini sort it out.

"For instance, you can ask Gemini to optimize your weekly employee scheduling to maximize profit while balancing staff availability and required skills," Kim said. "Gemini handles the complex logic to identify the best way to deploy your team."

Google Slides

When it comes to Slides, Google is working to move beyond slide creation to generating an entire presentation based on a prompt, helping reduce manual toil for users and markedly speeding up the process.

"Gemini will leverage your Workspace data to generate a complete presentation that is on-brand in a fraction of the time it typically takes," Kim said. "These slides are fully editable by prompting Gemini for changes or making those adjustments yourself."

Google noted that the feature will be available "soon", with exact release timelines yet to be revealed.

Google Drive

Searching through Drive is a pain, mainly as keyword searches bring back too many files. The aim here is to use Gemini to either return an answer to a question, rather than a file with that answer, or to pull up a list of documents that are actually relevant.

It's possible to dig in deeper using "Ask Gemini in Drive", looking across your files in Drive, as well as Calendar, Gmail, and Chat – you can choose which to include, or ask it to focus on a specific folder, and save this "curated list" for future reference.

"Projects adhere to Drive’s built-in security and compliance controls, so only those with access to the underlying content can access it in the project," Kim noted.

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