The world’s largest email service just initiated step one in a larger plan to secure Google as your favorite AI platform.

Millions of Americans who use Gmail are getting a new package of tools, driven by artificial intelligence. Google says it's trying to make Gmail more like a personal assistant as it brings more of its Gemini AI to your inbox with three updates.

Gmail can be a much smarter tool if you enable its new AI features: Suggested Replies, Help Me Write, Proofread, AI Overviews, and AI Inbox are here.

The aim is to transform Gmail from a traditional inbox into what Google describes as a “personal, proactive inbox assistant.”

First up is a new AI overview feature, which will feel familiar to anyone who’s used Google Search lately. Gmail will now summarize long email threads. When a user opens a message chain with dozens of replies, Gmail will generate “a concise summary of key points.” Google says this feature is rolling out today and will be free for all users.

There is a support note, if you can find it. Here’s the link. “Starting January 2026,” Google tells users of the world’s most popular email platform, "Gmail will no longer support checking emails from third-party accounts through POP. The option to ‘Check mail from other accounts’ will no longer be available in Gmail on your computer."

With the launch of “in-line AI experiences” in Gmail, Google has shared that the Gemini side panel is going away for AI Pro and

Gmail's new feature will soon organize important emails into to-dos and topics, so you don't miss anything important.