Google introduces voice-powered Gmail search with Gemini AI

Google has introduced a new voice-powered search feature for Gmail, allowing users to find information in their inbox by asking conversational questions aloud. The company announced Gmail Live during its annual developer conference, Google I/O, framing it as a significant evolution in how people interact with their email.

The feature is powered by Google’s Gemini AI model and is designed to understand natural language and context. Instead of typing keywords, users can ask questions like “What’s my flight gate number?” or “What’s the door code for my Airbnb?” The system can interpret follow-up questions, switch topics mid-conversation, and infer details like contact names or specific details such as hotel room numbers from email content. Devanshi Bhandari, a product lead for Gmail, demonstrated the tool’s ability to distinguish between different types of trips and surface relevant information from various messages.

Gmail Live will not replace the existing text-based search bar. It will be offered as an optional, parallel tool. This approach appears informed by user feedback from other Google products, where a shift to AI-only search previously generated criticism and led the...