Google is putting even more generative AI tools into Gmail as part of its goal to further personalize user inboxes and streamline searches. On Thursday, the company announced a new “AI Inbox” tab, currently in a beta testing phase, that reads every message in a user’s Gmail and suggests a list of to-dos and key topics, based on what it summarizes.

In Google’s example of what this AI Inbox could look like in Gmail, the new tab takes context from a user’s messages and suggests they reschedule their dentist appointment, reply to a request from their child’s sports coach, and pay an upcoming fee before the deadline. Also under the AI Inbox tab is a list of important topics worth browsing, nestled beneath the action items at the top. Each suggested to-do and topic links back to the original email for more context and for verification.

Despite the continued spread of generative AI features, the underlying reliability of these tools remains iffy. Back in 2023, when Google’s chatbot was still called “Bard,” I tested the company’s nascent Gmail extension that tried to summarize my messages and search through the inbox for insights. At the time, this extension was a complete bust, with a bevy of incorrect responses.

Since then, Google has worked to better its base AI model, called Gemini, and integrate those improvements into its suite of existing software services, including Gmail as well as Search. Despite the company’s advances in AI, current Gmail users are still shown a disclaimer stating that Gemini “can make mistakes” when attempting to search an inbox and answer questions.

For users who are concerned about their privacy, the information Google gleans by skimming through inboxes will not be used to improve the company’s foundational AI models. “We didn’t just bolt AI onto Gmail,” says Blake Barnes, who leads the project for Google. “We built a secure privacy architecture, specifically for this moment.” He emphasizes that users can turn off Gmail’s new AI tools if they don’t want them.

At the same time Google announced its AI Inbox, the company made free for all Gmail users multiple Gemini features that were previously available only to paying subscribers. This includes the Help Me Write tool, which generates emails from a user prompt, as well as AI Overviews for email threads, which essentially posts a TL;DR summary at the top of long message threads.

Subscribers to Google’s Ultra and Pro plans, which start at $20 a month, get two additional new features in their Gmail inbox. First, an AI proofreading tool that suggests more polished grammar and sentence structures. And second, an AI Overviews tool that can search your whole inbox and create relevant summaries on a topic, rather than just summarizing a single email thread.

Courtesy of Google

The Open Rights Group (ORG) is calling on the UK government to implement a digital sovereignty strategy, arguing there is a pressing need to reduce the country’s dependence on technological infrastructure from US companies that may be subject to foreign interference.

The digital rights campaigner warned that while various digital infrastructures may be technically secure, they could become “strategically fragile” if they depend on a small number of foreign-controlled suppliers or proprietary systems that cannot be easily replaced.

They also warned that widespread dependence on hyperscale cloud services such as Microsoft and Amazon Web Services (AWS) also poses risks, as these entities are subject to laws that could be used by the US government to compel them to provide UK-stored data to American authorities, effectively bypassing local laws.

To alleviate the risks associated with this kind of over-reliance on US-controlled infrastructure, ORG said a digital sovereignty strategy should be made a requirement in the UK’s forthcoming Cybersecurity and Resilience Bill.

Such a strategy should specifically consider whether services can continue if a supplier withdraws; whether data access can be restricted by foreign law; whether sanctions, trade disputes or political pressure could disrupt systems; and whether the UK has meaningful alternatives if relationships with foreign states change.

“Just as relying on one country for the UK’s energy needs would be risky and irresponsible, so is over-reliance on US companies to supply the bulk of our digital infrastructure,” said James Baker, the platform power programme manager at ORG.

“Now more than ever, the UK needs to build and protect sovereignty over its digital infrastructure, and not leave itself vulnerable to the policies and actions of foreign powers such as the US and China. Although the US is a historical ally, its assertion that it will use hard power to achieve its political, economic and military goals should raise concerns among parliamentarians in the UK. The Cybersecurity and Resilience Bill is an opportunity to improve the UK’s control over its infrastructure.”

ORG added that the strategy should also prioritise the use of interoperable, open source systems, which would increase the ability of UK firms to bid for and maintain government systems.