In January this year, Google announced several new AI-powered features for Gmail, including AI Overviews and the wider availability of Help Me Write, Suggested Replies, and Proofread. It also announced AI Inbox, designed to cut through clutter and highlight only the most important emails. Initially limited to select testers, Google is now rolling out AI Inbox to its most premium AI users.
The AI-powered Gmail Inbox will be available to Google AI Ultra subscribers, which costs $250 per month, in the US. As its name suggests, this is Google’s Ultra tier, offering higher usage limits for Gemini, 30TB Google Cloud storage, and access to the company’s other advanced AI tools.
AI Inbox is the latest perk to join the list. It will appear as a separate option in Gmail’s sidebar on the web. It does away with the traditional inbox approach. Instead, it displays a list of briefings based on the email’s content and sorted based on priority.
Essentially, Google does not want you to open and read an email. You switch to AI Inbox and get a personalized briefing of all the important information.
AI Inbox highlights what matters most
Briefings of the less-important emails are shown under the “Topics to catch up on” section below the “Suggested to-dos.”
Below is how Google’s support page explains the two sections of the AI Inbox:
- Suggested to-dos: This section shows things that need your attention or action from incoming emails. It identifies high-priority items and explains what you need to do in bold text, like a due date for a utility or credit card bill.
- Topics to catch up on: This section gives you a quick summary of important updates. It helps you stay updated on things like upcoming travel, restaurant reservations, purchase confirmations, and more.
Based on Google’s previous rollout timelines, it should expand AI Inbox access in Gmail to AI Pro subscribers in the coming months.
AI Inbox expands to Gmail subscribers as Google finally allows username changes. Unlike the former, the option is available to all Gmail users in the US, whether they pay for Google’s AI plan or not.
