The biggest time-waster at work
sometimes isn’t the work itself.
It’s:
finding information.
A colleague said in Chat yesterday:
The client rescheduled.
The new presentation is in Drive.
The quotation was sent via Gmail.
The meeting is on Calendar.
By this morning,
all you want to know is one thing:
Where exactly is this project now?
But first, you open:
Chat.
Then you open:
Gmail.
Next, you search:
Drive.
Finally, you check:
Calendar.
Google’s new feature launched today:
Ask Gemini in Google Chat
aims to shorten this workflow.
What is Ask Gemini in Google Chat?
You can think of it as:
an AI work hub inside Google Chat.
Previously, Google Chat had:
the Gemini Side Panel.
Now, Google has revamped that experience,
turning it into a standalone feature:
Ask Gemini.
It appears on the left side of Google Chat,
under:
Shortcuts.
Mac users can also press:
Command + G.
Windows/ChromeOS users use:
Ctrl + G.
Then just ask your work questions directly.
The biggest difference isn’t just “it can chat”
Gemini could already:
chat.
The real breakthrough is:
Ask Gemini can use your Google Workspace context, including:
Gmail,
Google Drive,
Google Calendar,
and Google Chat
work data,
to answer relevant work questions.
No more searching five places every Monday morning
You can simply ask:
Summarize the key updates on Project Alpha from Friday afternoon until now.
Please check the related Chat, Email, Drive documents, and Calendar events.
Separate into:
confirmed progress,
tasks I need to handle,
and meetings scheduled for today.
Provide sources for each important note.
This is much clearer than:
“Summarize today’s work.”
First practical feature: Find files directly
Say you only remember:
Amy sent a presentation last week.
But you don’t know if it was:
in Email,
Drive,
or Chat.
You can just ask:
Find the Project Alpha presentation Amy shared with me last week.
Google’s official demo shows how Ask Gemini
searches across Workspace data.
And the answers come with:
sources attached.
So the AI doesn’t just say:
“I think I remember it.”
but you can go back and verify the original data.
Second feature: What exactly did someone assign me?
For example:
Did David ask me to revise the quotation last week?
If yes,
tell me when he mentioned it,
what to revise,
and when my next meeting with him is.
Previously, such a question was tricky.
Because the first part might be in:
Gmail,
the second in:
Chat,
and meeting times in:
Calendar.
Ask Gemini’s value is
reconstructing a single work question
across multiple tools.
Third feature: Catch up
Suppose you were off for a day.
Returning to Chat, you have:
87 unread messages.
The old way was:
scrolling from the first message downwards.
Now you can ask:
What did I miss yesterday?
Summarize only important changes related to Project Alpha.
No small talk.
If someone directly assigned me a task,
list those separately.
Here’s a crucial difference:
Don’t just ask:
“Summarize everything.”
Instead, specify:
what matters to you.
Because summarizing all messages still results in too much content
Group chats might contain:
“Good morning.”
Emojis,
lunch plans,
“Got it” confirmations,
versions later discarded in discussions.
The truly important points are usually:
only three items.
If you just compress:
100 messages
into
50 lines,
you still haven’t saved much time.
Better questions are:
What’s changed?
What do I need to do?
What remains undecided?
Fourth feature: Find today’s action items
Ask Gemini can also help you organize:
action items.
For example, ask:
What do I need to handle today?
Google says it responds based on the current:
Workspace context.
This makes Chat no longer just
a messaging tool,
but a true:
work hub.
But “AI says it’s an action item” doesn’t mean it’s officially assigned
For example, if a colleague says:
We might update the homepage by Friday.
AI might interpret that as:
Update the homepage by Friday.
But the original statement might only be:
a discussion.
So for:
important deadlines,
formal commitments,
or client deliverables,
it’s best to
check the original message
for confirmation.
This source tracing is where value lies.
Fifth feature: Prepare replies for you
Say you’ve found the project data,
no need to open:
Gmail separately.
You can ask:
Based on the progress we just found,
draft an email to the client.
Include only confirmed details.
Don’t commit to any uncertain dates.
AI can then create:
a reply draft.
But the key instruction is: “Don’t commit on your own”
Because AI likes to:
complete messages.
For example, if the original info is:
The engineer is checking.
AI might rewrite it as:
We will complete it by Friday.
As a result,
a deadline
that never actually existed
gets created.
So in business communication, it’s best that:
drafts are AI-generated,
but formal commitments are human-confirmed.
Sixth feature: Create Docs, Sheets, and Slides
The Google Help Center now lists Ask Gemini capabilities that go beyond:
just answering questions.
It can help create:
Google Docs,
Google Sheets,
and Google Slides.
For example, after a weekly meeting, you can ask:
Based on Project Alpha data from the past two weeks,
create a project status document.
Divide it into:
completed,
in progress,
blocked,
and next steps.
Or:
Summarize this month’s project progress in a brief Slides presentation.
This way,
researching data
and
preparing deliverables
can happen in the same conversation.
Seventh feature: Directly manage Calendar
This is especially useful.
For example:
Find a 30-minute slot when Amy and I are both free this week.
Or:
Reschedule next week’s meeting with David to Wednesday.
Or:
Find me a one-hour focus time this week.
Ask Gemini can:
find time slots,
create,
reschedule,
and manage Calendar events.
This means its role is shifting from:
providing information
to
taking work actions for you.
But don’t rely on vague commands for Calendar
For example:
Find time to chat with a client.
It’s better to specify:
duration,
week,
participants,
and unavailable times.
For example:
This week, find a 30-minute slot when I, Amy, and David are free,
avoid lunch hours,
and just show me the options—don’t book directly.
For important matters,
this approach is safer.
Eighth feature: Ask Gemini supports Deep Research
Google’s Help Center also includes:
Deep Research
as part of Ask Gemini.
This means in the same Chat work hub, you can not only:
view company data,
but also perform:
more complex external research.
This opens an interesting work style.
For example, preparing for tomorrow’s client meeting
You could first ask:
Based on Gmail, Drive, and Chat,
tell me the top three concerns the client has recently.
Then:
Research three important recent public announcements about this company.
Finally:
Prepare a meeting brief for tomorrow.
Internal context,
external research,
and meeting prep
all happen
in one workflow.
But it’s better to separate internal and external data
This is a very important habit.
For example, specify:
Use company Workspace data for the first part only.
Use web research for the second part.
Don’t mix sources.
Keep sources for each key conclusion.
This way, you know whether:
a statement came from
inside the company,
or from
the web.
Ninth feature: Sessions
Ask Gemini also includes:
Sessions.
You can separate different work topics, for example:
Project Alpha,
Hiring,
Marketing,
Quarterly Planning.
When you return later,
you can continue:
in the same work context.
This saves the time of re-explaining:
“What are we working on now?”
Is it similar to the ChatGPT Project?
There are conceptual similarities.
Both aim to avoid restarting work from scratch every time.
However, they remain:
different products and work environments.
Ask Gemini’s greatest advantage is:
it’s embedded inside:
Google Workspace.
If your company’s:
Email,
Drive,
Calendar,
and Chat
are all on Google,
your data are closely connected.
Tenth feature: Calling Workspace Studio Skills
This is an important point.
SasaDaily introduced:
Google Workspace Studio
on August 12.
Studio lets you create reusable:
AI workflows/skills.
For instance, you might have a:
Project Summary Skill.
Previously, we thought of it as:
a standalone automation.
Now, Ask Gemini lets you invoke it directly within Chat.
Using it is just @Skill
For example:
@Project Summary
Summarize Product Launch Space updates in the last week.
So,
Ask Gemini
becomes the:
gateway,
while Workspace Studio
runs the:
pre-built workflows.
The two begin to connect.
That’s why Ask Gemini and Workspace Studio aren’t the same tool
Simply put:
Ask Gemini
I have a question now,
help me
find,
organize,
create,
and schedule.
Workspace Studio
This task will be repeated later,
so design the process first.
For “help me summarize this project once,” Ask Gemini is enough
But if every Friday you:
pull a Space,
organize progress,
blockers,
owners,
and next steps,
then send it out in the same format,
that’s more suited for a:
Workspace Studio Skill.
Later, you can call it
directly from Ask Gemini.
Where to start on your first use?
Don’t try to manage all work on day one.
Start with:
Morning Catch-up.
For example, after starting work each day, ask:
Prepare my work summary for today.
Only check Gmail, Chat, and Calendar from the last 24 hours that directly concern me.
Separate into:
- meetings scheduled today
- direct assignments
- major project changes since yesterday
Include sources for each item.
Don’t create meetings, tasks, or send messages automatically.
This is already very useful.
Why is that last instruction so important?
Because the first phase is just:
seeing,
not:
doing.
First confirm the work Ask Gemini identifies:
Is it accurate?
Is anything missed?
Has it confused
discussion
with decision?
If it’s stable over a week,
gradually add steps to:
create documents,
schedule meetings,
and manage tasks.
Don’t rush into “full automation” right away
This echoes the AI agent principle we often talk about.
Phase one:
Find
Find data.
Summarize
Organize.
Prepare
Create drafts.
Act
Take actual actions.
Costs of mistakes increase at each step.
For example, if it finds the wrong document,
you can:
search again.
If the summary is wrong,
you can:
re-check sources.
If the draft is wrong,
you can:
not send it.
If a meeting is wrongly scheduled,
it affects:
others’ time.
So the closer AI gets to
actually acting,
the clearer your instructions and checks must be.
Ask Gemini features won’t appear instantly for everyone
Google began
gradual rollout
starting August 26.
They say it could take up to
15 days
for eligible accounts to receive it.
If you open Chat today
and don’t see it,
that doesn’t mean
your Google Chat is broken.
There are plan restrictions, too
Google currently lists the eligible plans as:
Business Standard,
Business Plus,
Enterprise Standard,
Enterprise Plus,
and
Google AI Pro for Education.
So it’s not available today for
all free Gmail accounts.
Language is an important limitation right now
Google states Ask Gemini’s new Chat experience
currently applies only to users with
Google Account language set to English.
Users of other languages may still see the
original Gemini Side Panel.
Google says more languages
will be added in the future.
So in Taiwan, if your account language is
Traditional Chinese,
not seeing it
is perfectly normal today.
Don’t hastily change company account settings for this feature
Corporate Workspace also has settings for:
Admin,
Workspace Intelligence,
Smart Features,
and so on.
Whether Ask Gemini appears
depends on admin enabling
related functions.
If it doesn’t appear in corporate accounts,
check admin settings first
and don’t just keep
refreshing the page.
Important to note: Old Side Panel conversations won’t transfer
Google clarifies that
Conversation History in the original
Gemini Side Panel won’t automatically move over to the new
Ask Gemini interface.
If you have important AI chats stored there,
don’t assume the new UI will have them all.
Changes to Gems in Google Chat
After Ask Gemini’s launch,
Google Chat no longer accesses Gems from the old Side Panel.
But Gems have not disappeared;
they continue to work in
other supported Workspace apps.
This means:
the AI work gateway in Chat
is being reorganized.
Not all old features are moved identically.
Task features still have availability constraints
Google Help Center lists:
creating,
editing,
completing,
and deleting tasks
as Ask Gemini functions.
But some Task features are
only conditionally available
in Gemini Alpha
or
Workspace Experiments.
So don’t assume
"all Workspace users can now fully manage tasks with Ask Gemini."
Different accounts may have different access.
Does Ask Gemini use company emails to train public Gemini models?
Google’s Workspace privacy policy
says that Workspace data
remains owned by users/organizations.
Google states that without permission,
Workspace data won’t be used to train or improve
underlying generative AI models used outside Workspace.
This is a critical data boundary
for enterprise users.
But it doesn’t mean you can ignore permissions inside Workspace
AI only works within
existing data permissions.
If, for example, a
Drive folder
is mistakenly set to be visible to the whole company,
AI won’t suddenly know
“this shouldn’t be shared with everyone.”
So with AI adoption,
data permissions
need even more careful management.
Previously misconfigured permissions may have hidden documents from employees
Now with AI’s strong search capabilities,
if permissions were too open,
wrong data access may become more visible.
Therefore,
good AI search
and
proper data governance
must go hand in hand.
Who benefits most from Ask Gemini?
First group:
Teams working almost entirely in Google Workspace
Using:
Gmail,
Drive,
Calendar,
and Chat daily
experience the most benefits.
Second group:
People handling many projects
With scattered information across different
conversations,
documents,
and meetings.
Third group:
Managers
Who need to
catch up,
find action items,
prepare meetings,
and track projects daily.
Fourth group:
Small businesses and solopreneurs
Without dedicated
assistants,
project coordinators,
or operations staff,
saving the time spent on "finding data + planning next steps" is especially valuable.
Who doesn’t need to rush?
If your company mainly uses:
Slack,
Microsoft 365,
Notion,
or other systems,
and only occasionally opens Google Workspace Email,
Ask Gemini’s access to work context
will be limited.
The same old AI advice applies:
Don’t implement new tools just because they’re new.
See first:
where your data usually lives.
Don’t ask big questions on your first try
Don’t start with:
Help me manage all today’s work.
Begin with:
Find three important changes on Project Alpha since yesterday.
Confirm:
accuracy.
Then ask:
What do I need to handle?
Confirm again.
Only then ask:
Help me draft a progress update email.
Test it in layers.
Establish a four-step workflow
1. Find
Locate data.
2. Verify
Confirm sources.
3. Prepare
Create drafts, documents, and meeting options.
4. Act
Take actual actions like sending, creating, or editing.
Don’t mix all four steps into one command.
For example, don’t say
Find the client’s latest requests, reply, and schedule a meeting.
If AI makes a mistake in step one,
steps two and three
will also be wrong.
A better approach:
First, find the latest requests without taking action.
Review.
Then:
Draft a reply based on that data.
Confirm.
Finally:
Find three available meeting times.
This greatly reduces risk.
The real new thing today isn’t just that Google put Gemini in another place
The key direction to watch is:
Google Chat is evolving from “a place for person-to-person chatting” into “the place where you manage your entire Workspace.”
Email is
in Gmail.
Documents are
in Drive.
Time is
in Calendar.
Discussions are
in Chat.
Before, you had to shuttle back and forth.
Now, Ask Gemini aims to become
the unified work portal
in the middle.
Workspace Studio takes this even further
Ask Gemini solves:
What do I need to do now?
Workspace Studio solves:
If I repeat this task weekly, can I standardize the process?
Together,
Google Workspace’s AI path is clear:
First let AI understand your work,
then help you handle it,
and finally turn repeated work into Skills.
The key takeaway today
The real value of Ask Gemini in Google Chat is not:
“Gemini is now in Google Chat too.”
It’s that you can start from a single chat interface and ask things like:
What happened in my Email?
Where are the latest files in Drive?
Who assigned me tasks in Chat?
When is my meeting today?
Then smoothly proceed to:
prepare documents,
draft replies,
and plan next steps.
AI no longer just
answers questions for you,
but
ties scattered work contexts across systems back to one task.
That’s what makes it worth trying.
Today, make progress with AI bit by bit.
Learn one AI tip daily.
Save a little time every day.
Improve your skills step by step.
SasaDaily, growing with you.
