Google has been in the process of incorporating the next level of generative AI into its B2B offering, Google Workspace, providing people with powerful tools that make them work even more efficiently.
The general availability of ‘Duet AI for Google Workspace’ was announced on August 29, 2023. It is a paid add-on for Google Workspace customers, but a free trial can be requested.
Over 1 million trusted testers have harnessed the power of Duet AI — as a coach, source of inspiration, and productivity enhancer. Live from #GoogleCloudNext, we're thrilled to announce that Duet AI for #GoogleWorkspace is now generally available 🎉 → https://t.co/EmFe4HbwWt pic.twitter.com/kYyw6r9Tl7
— Google Workspace (@GoogleWorkspace) August 29, 2023
Creating compelling B2B functionality for artificial intelligence is not as unconstrained a process as launching an all-purpose large language model to the masses, as OpenAI did with ChatGPT.
B2B AI functionality needs to be released slowly and carefully — and, as Google stated, “keep the user in control, letting AI make suggestions that [users are] able to accept, edit, and change.”
This is understandable, as unfettered generative AI could damage customer relationships that took years to build.
AI functionality for Gmail and Google Docs called “Help me write” has been released to trusted testers through Workspace Labs.
Let’s look at several ways that Duet AI will be able to be used by Google Workspace customers. As users of other AIs like ChatGPT have found, prompting is a discipline in and of itself.
Gmail Content Suggestions
If a Google Workspace user needs assistance creating a business email, Duet AI’s creative writing aid will draft a suggestion based on a prompt that a user provides.
After Duet AI creates the draft, the user can recreate, refine, or insert the suggestion.
‘Refine’ options include
- Formalize
- Elaborate
- Shorten
- I’m Feeling Lucky
Google Docs Content Suggestions
Suggestions for Google Docs work similarly to that of Gmail. Here is a prompt we tested.
Write the first section of a proposal for Salesforce consulting services for Abbott Solar. Abbott Solar’s current issue is that customer information is siloed in different databases across their organization. This has resulted in a negative customer experience for some of Abbott’s customers.
Below is the initial suggestion that Duet AI provided for this prompt. As with much AI-generated content, humans should make factual and grammatical edits before sharing the content. In the case of a sales proposal, a Google Sheets pricing table can be embedded in the document.
As with a Gmail suggestion, there are options to recreate or refine the initial suggestion before inserting it in the Doc.
Generative AI Images in Google Slides
Instead of using stock photos in Google Slides, Google Workspace will be able to prompt Duet AI to create images. This is called the “Help me visualize” feature.
Users who are familiar with text-to-image prompting from using Midjourney or DALL·E will be able to use similar prompts within Google Slides to create images for a presentation.
Google Sheets Enhancements
The announced upcoming Duet AI features for Google Sheets include auto-completion, contextual categorization, and formula generation.
“Help me organize” will automatically generate a Sheets template for keeping track of crucial business data.
Google Meet Contextual Backgrounds
Duet AI will let Google Workspace users create original Google Meet backgrounds to align with the topic or the customer.
🆕 Available now: AI Backgrounds in Meet! Use "Generate a background" to create bespoke visual backgrounds to express yourself and protect your privacy during video calls or meetings. Sign up for Duet AI for #GoogleWorkspace to try it out today → https://t.co/0mfc5O0QaL pic.twitter.com/5RuLiCVxfk
— Google Workspace (@GoogleWorkspace) September 12, 2023
Duet AI for Google Workspace will be a game-changer for businesses of all sizes. It can help automate tasks, improve collaboration, and increase productivity.
We have all learned that AI advances quickly — and Duet AI for Google Workspace will likely be no different. Expect more intelligent interfaces to emerge from Google’s large language models.
When additional trusted tester access is released, we will update this post to provide more details about the latest developments.
