What to know

  • Gmail’s Gemini side panel now integrates with Google Calendar, allowing users to manage their schedule directly from their inbox.
  • Users can create calendar events and get schedule information using natural language prompts, like scheduling lunch meetings or checking upcoming events.
  • The feature is rolling out to paid tiers including Gemini Business, Enterprise, Education, and Google One AI Premium subscribers from November 13th to December 6th, 2024.

Google has unveiled a significant upgrade to Gmail’s Gemini side panel by introducing Google Calendar integration, making schedule management more seamless for users. This integration follows the previous addition of Drive, Docs, Sheets, and Slides functionality.

According to Google Workspace Updates, this feature enables you to interact with your calendar using conversational language right from your inbox. You can now simply type queries like “Create a 30-minute calendar event for my weekly yoga class every Monday and Wednesday at 9 AM” or “When is my first event next week?” without switching between applications.

While the current capabilities focus on basic calendar management, there are some limitations to note. The system cannot yet handle complex tasks such as adding or removing event guests, extracting information from emails to create events, or finding optimal meeting times with other participants.

The rollout of this feature began on November 13th, 2024, and will continue through December 6th, 2024. To access this feature, you’ll need to be subscribed to one of the paid tiers: Gemini Business, Gemini Enterprise, Gemini Education, Gemini Education Premium, or Google One AI Premium.

For workspace administrators, enabling this feature requires turning on smart features and personalization for their users. Once enabled, you can access Gemini by clicking the “Ask Gemini” icon in the top right corner of your Gmail inbox.

This integration marks another step in Google’s efforts to streamline workflow and boost productivity through AI-powered tools, with hints at more powerful features coming in the future.