Google recently announced the addition of new AI tools, including Gemini, to all Google Workspace accounts. Google will be increasing the price of its Workspace subscriptions starting in March to account for these additional features.
What’s changing?
If you’re a Google Workspace user, you’ll notice the Gemini 4-pointed star icon appearing in your Google apps (like Mail, Docs, Sheets, and Meet). This indicates that Gemini’s AI capabilities are now integrated into your workflow. You’ll be able to use Gemini to generate text, translate languages, write different kinds of creative content, and answer your questions in an informative way. You’ll also have access to Gemini Advanced (the paid version of the chatbot), and NotebookLM Plus (an updated version of Google’s new research and information synthesis tool).
It’s worth noting that Google is not offering these new AI features for free. The cost of all Google Workspace subscriptions will increase by a few dollars per month starting in March.
How can you use Gemini?
If you haven’t already started to use generative AI tools like Gemini, ChatGPT, or Claude, now is your chance to explore what this technology can (and can’t) do for you. The tools can be great writing partners (idea generation, first drafts, editing suggestions), teachers (interactive explanations of technical subjects), and analysts (spreadsheet queries).
Your mileage and comfort may vary, but now that you don’t need to decide whether to pay for the Gemini add-on (Google has just made this choice for you), play around with the available options and develop your own opinion about the tool’s effectiveness.
(Note that as a paid tool, Google promises that your inputs — your prompts, emails, and documents — won’t be incorporated into the large language model that Gemini depends on; that is, your data won’t be accessible by others using the same Google AI services.)