Google is expanding Gemini’s reach within Workspace by allowing users to pull Gmail conversations directly from Ask Gemini in Drive, giving its AI assistant deeper access to emails, documents, and folders in a single workspace.
The feature, now generally available to eligible Google Workspace and Google AI subscribers, is designed to help users ask complex questions while working within Google Drive. Instead of manually switching between Gmail and Drive to gather information, users can now feed entire Gmail threads into Gemini alongside files and folders to create context-aware responses.
Gemini makes Drive a smart workplace assistant
Until now, Ask Gemini on Drive has primarily relied on files and folders as a reference. With the new update, Gmail threads can act as sources, allowing Gemini to analyze conversations, attached documents, and related Drive files together. Google says the goal is to provide a “complete view of the context of the business” so users can get accurate and helpful answers powered by AI.
The company describes Ask Gemini on Drive as an “immersive workspace” built for deep focus and multi-question-answering conversations. Essentially, this means that users can ask Gemini to summarize long email conversations, cross-reference information between documents and inbox threads, or quickly make decisions buried in multiple conversations.
The release comes at a time when tech companies are integrating the power of AI assistants into desktop software to reduce time spent searching for information. Microsoft has been pushing similar capabilities with Copilot across Outlook and Office, while Google is slowly embedding Gemini into every corner of Workspace.
Anxiety and privacy go hand in hand
For users, the update could make Drive more useful as a productivity hub. Instead of managing Gmail and Drive as separate services, Gemini effectively turns them into one searchable database. That can help professionals manage projects quickly, especially in workplaces where important information is often spread across documents and long email chains.
At the same time, the feature may raise new concerns about how much access AI systems should have to personal or sensitive workplace communications. While Google says the functionality only works when users intentionally add Gmail threads as sources, the idea of an AI assistant “merging” inbox conversations is likely to make some users uncomfortable.
Google says this feature is enabled by default if Gemini Workspace on Drive is already enabled by administrators. End users must also have Workspace smart features to use Ask Gemini in Drive.
The rollout began on June 3, 2026, and is gradually being extended to a period of up to 15 days. The feature is available for Business Standard and Plus, Enterprise Standard and Plus, Google AI Pro and Ultra, AI Expanded Access, and select education plans.
