Google Cloud Next 2024: New AI-powered features for Google Workspace apps

Google has announced a new AI-powered video-creation app which assists users throughout the video editing and making process

At the Cloud Next 2024 event, Google announced it was adding a slew of new features and artificial intelligence (AI)-powered tools to Google Workspace services like Gmail, Docs, Drive and more. From a new AI-powered video editor to an improved writing assistant in Gmail, here is everything new coming to Google Workspace:

Google Vids: AI-powered video creation app

Google has unveiled a new workspace application called Google Vids, which can generate an editable storyboard, select video style and suggest scenes from stock videos, images and background music. Additionally, the app also allows users to add preset voiceovers or one of their own.

According to Google, the Vids app has a user-friendly interface and helps beginners with templates and AI-powered ‘Help Me Create’ feature to generate an editable first draft for a video project. It also allows creators to collaborate with others or share their projects from their web browser.

The Google Vids app will be available in Workspace Labs from June.

Google Vids (Google)

Gemini AI features in Gmail

Google is adding voice prompts to ‘Help Me Write’ feature on the Gmail smartphone app. This will allow users to compose and send emails using their voice from the Gmail app for both Android and iOS platforms. Additionally, there is a new instant polish feature that uses Gemini AI in Gmail to draft an email using rough notes with a single click.

Google said these new Gmail features would be soon available to Gemini Enterprise and Gemini Business customers, as well as Google One AI Premium subscribers.

Instant Polish on Gmail (Google)

New Google Sheets and Docs features

Google Sheets is getting a new tables feature that formats and organises data with a redesign. Additionally, there are new templates available for specific projects, including event planning and inventory management. Google said these new Sheets features would be available for all Workspace plans in coming weeks.

For Google Docs, Google is rolling out a new tabs experience, which the company said would help the user organise related information in a single document. There are also new personalisation options such as full-bleed cover images for documents. These new Google Docs features will be available to all users in coming weeks.

Full bleed cover in Google Docs (Google)

Auto-translated captions in Google Meet

Google will be rolling out the ‘Translate for Me’ feature in June. This new Google Meet feature will automatically detect and translate captions into the preferred language in real time. Google said that it was adding support for 52 new languages for the feature.

The ‘Translate for Me’ feature will be available in a new AI Meetings and Messaging add-on for $10 per user per month. The company said that AI Meetings and Messaging could be added on to select Workspace plans as well.

AI security on Google Drive

Google is rolling out an AI security feature for Google Drive which it said would let IT teams automatically identify, classify and protect sensitive files company-wide in Google Drive. The feature uses “privacy-preserving” AI models that can be trained using data unique to an organisation so that it can classify and protect sensitive files in Drive.

The feature is now available for select Workspace plans for $10 per user per month.