Google adds AI to all Workspace accounts (with an upcharge)

Google recently announced that it's adding new AI tools, including Gemini, to all Google Workspace accounts. To pay for these features, Google is raising the price of its Workspace subscriptions starting in March.

What's changing?

If you use Google Workspace, you'll notice the Gemini four-pointed star icon appearing in your Google apps like Mail, Docs, Sheets, and Meet. This means Gemini's AI capabilities are now built into your workflow. You can use Gemini to generate text, translate languages, write different kinds of creative content, and answer questions. You'll also get access to Gemini Advanced (the paid version of the chatbot) and NotebookLM Plus (an updated version of Google's research and information synthesis tool).

These features aren't free. The cost of all Google Workspace subscriptions will go up by a few dollars per month starting in March.

How can you use Gemini?

If you haven't started using generative AI tools like Gemini, ChatGPT, or Claude, now is a good chance to explore what this technology can (and can't) do for you. These tools can work well as:

• Writing partners — idea generation, first drafts, and editing suggestions.
• Teachers — interactive explanations of technical subjects.
• 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 made that choice for you), try out the available options and form your own opinion about how well the tool works.

Note that as a paid tool, Google promises your inputs — your prompts, emails, and documents — won't be incorporated into the large language model that Gemini depends on. In other words, your data won't be accessible to others using the same Google AI services.