Gemini, following Copilot's footsteps, is now available on Google Workspace side panel

Google Gemini, the AI assistant tool from the popular search engine, is finally coming to the Google Workspace side panel. That means, just like on Copilot for Microsoft 365, you’ll be able to take on the power of the Gemini 1.5 Pro model on apps like Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, and Drive directly from the side panel.

After some period of internal testing, Google finally confirmed its general availability this week. Mountain View tech giant also said that it’s available for Workspace costumers with Business and Enterprise add-on, Education and Education Premium add-on, and Google One AI Premium subscription.

As for its capability, Gemini on Google Workspace works pretty much like Copilot for Microsoft 365. You can summarize information and brainstorm on Docs, generate slides and custom images on Slides, track data and create tables on Sheets, and provide insights and deep dives on topics on Drive.

Google also said in another update of Gemini is coming to Gmail’s side panel. And just like Copilot on Outlook, you can also summarize a lengthy email thread, ask it to suggest/draft responses, and ask specific questions within your inbox or from Drive files.

Google Gemini’s premium offering, Google One AI, costs about $19.99/month, but this tier also comes with more Drive storage besides the obvious AI features from Google. And, to be fair, it’s probably a plan that gives you the most bang for your buck: Copilot requires a standalone subscription on top of Microsoft 365, while Gemini is bundled with all of Google’s productivity software.