Gmail's next AI feature will draft your emails using simple voice prompts

Gmail's 'Help Me Write' feature aims to simplify email drafting following a similar design as ChatGPT and Bard

Gmail users may soon experience a shift in email drafting with the introduction of a new AI feature called 'Help Me Write.' This function will allow users to instruct Gmail on the type of email they wish to compose, and the Google-owned app will autonomously generate the email based on text prompts. The tech giant is now looking to add a voice command option to this, further simplifying email drafting, according to a report by the Android Police.

The 'Help me Write' feature, announced at Google's I/O 2023 event, initially focused on creating email drafts swiftly using text prompts. The concept of voice-driven email composition comes as a part of Google's broader initiative to integrate advanced AI into its products. Google, at the time, emphasised the utilisation of its advanced machine learning algorithms to enhance the results produced by the feature.

In a blog post, Google explained the functionality: "Just type in the prompt of what you want, hit create, and a full draft appears... It looks pretty close to what you want to send, but maybe you want to refine it further."

The feature is anticipated to roll out in the coming months as part of Workspace updates, likely accessible to both web and mobile users of Gmail.

How it works

The anticipated 'Draft email with voice' feature will bring a voice typing interface to Gmail. When users initiate a new email or reply, a microphone icon will appear, triggering voice and recording upon tapping. Once users finish speaking, they can click on the 'Create' prompt. Gmail will then utilise artificial intelligence to draft the email in line with the voice instructions.

While highlighting this feature, the report by Android Police cautioned that the official release date remains uncertain, as the code strings linked to the update were initially identified in October 2023.

Google's Smart Reply function

This new feature will be an update to Google's Smart Reply function, which was released in 2017. This offered quick response options, followed by Smart Compose, which provided writing suggestions as users typed in real-time. The upcoming 'Draft email with voice' feature aims to revolutionise email composition, aligning with the continuous evolution of AI-powered tools in Gmail.