Google Adds Conversational Voice Search to Gmail AI Inbox

Google announced an expansion of its AI Inbox feature for Gmail on Tuesday. The update introduces Gmail Live, a conversational voice tool powered by Gemini that lets users ask questions about emails in natural language. The company said the feature will help users find information such as flight details, appointment times, Airbnb door codes, and school event information.

Users can speak questions aloud and receive responses that handle follow-up questions and topic changes.

Bhandari, product lead for Gmail, demonstrated the tool in a briefing before Google I/O. She showed it answering questions about a child's show-and-tell project, class trip, and travel details including hotel and flight information for a trip to Detroit. " It can also infer which people are being referenced even when they are not named explicitly.

Gmail is also adding ready-to-send drafts, instant file access, and the ability to mark tasks as done. The AI Inbox overview page, which launched earlier this year, will expand to Google AI Pro and Plus subscribers. Gmail Live will roll out later this summer and will initially be limited to Google AI Ultra subscribers. Traditional keyword search will remain available as an option.