Google has unveiled a new AI Inbox for Gmail designed to give you a personalized overview of your tasks and notify you of important updates. Gmail also launched AI Summary in search and a Grammarly-like “Proofread” feature. In addition, Gmail brings some AI features that were previously only available to paid users to all users.
The new AI Inbox tab has two sections: “Recommended tasks” and “Topics to do.” The first section presents a summary of the top priority emails that require action, such as a reminder that you have a bill due tomorrow or that you need to call your dermatologist to confirm your mailing address so they can send you a prescription refill.
In the “Topics to do” section, you’ll see updates such as “Your Lululemon return is being processed, and your Metal Vent Tech t-shirt order has shipped” and “Your year-end statement is now available from Wealthfront.” These different updates are grouped into different categories, such as “Finance” and “Buying.”
“This is where we deliver Gmail proactively, showing you what you need to do and when you need to do it,” said Blake Barnes, VP, Product at Google, in a briefing with reporters. “Don’t worry, your traditional inbox will still be available. It’s just a new look that lets you pop in and out as you please to eliminate the distraction of incoming email.”
Google is rolling out its AI Inbox feature to trusted testers before it becomes more widely available over the next few months.
With the new AI Summary in Gmail search, users can now search their inbox using natural language questions to get quick answers instead of having to rely on traditional keyword searches and open multiple emails to find specific information.
For example, you could ask “Which plumber gave you the quote for the bathroom renovation last year?” You’ll then get an AI Summary that pulls answers from your email and highlights the key details you need.
Techcrunch event
San Francisco
|
13-15 October 2026
“We scour every email in the inbox, and we give the answer to the question right at the top,” Blake said. “So like AI Overview in Google Search, you can ask natural language questions to get AI-powered responses. However, in Gmail, the model relies solely on your email, the brain of your personal memory, to generate responses.
The new functionality is rolling out to Google AI Pro and Ultra customers.
Google says that all Gmail AI features are optional, do not use personal content to train the underlying model, and process personal data in an isolated environment.
As for the new Proofread feature, Google says it’s designed to help you polish and refine your writing by analyzing drafts to improve clarity and structure. Offers one-click suggestions for word choice, conciseness, active voice, and splitting complex sentences.
For example, if you write something like “may cause a disturbance,” Gmail will suggest that you change it to “may disturb.” It will also alert you if you use the wrong word, such as “weather” instead of “what.” It is very similar to popular proofreading services like Grammarly.
By launching its own proofreading tool, Google hopes people will stop using third-party tools or emailing ChatGPT to fix it.
Proofread is rolling out to Google AI Pro and Ultra paid subscription tier customers.
While these new features are only rolling out to select users, Google announced that Gmail’s “Help Me Write,” AI Summary for threaded emails, and “Suggested Replies” are rolling out to all users. The feature was previously only available to paying customers.
Help Me Write can help you create an email from a single prompt, while AI Summary for threaded emails provides an overview of longer email threads with multiple replies. Suggested Replies use the context of the conversation to provide appropriate responses that match your tone and style.