Google revamps its Chat app, embedding the Gemini AI assistant more deeply to enable search, drafting, and task management within conversations, signalling a shift towards a more integrated AI experience.
Google is folding Gemini more deeply into Chat, recasting the messaging app as a place where people can search, draft, organise and act without switching tools. According to Google Workspace updates, the new “Ask Gemini in Chat” surface is designed to help users find answers across Gmail, Drive and Calendar, generate content such as images or draft updates, summarise discussions, and manage tasks and meetings from within the conversation flow.
The company says the feature will replace the Gemini side panel in Chat for English-language Google accounts, removing access to that panel and to Gems within Chat itself. Google adds that conversation history from the old side panel will not migrate into Ask Gemini, although administrators can export it and, where policies allow, users can download it. The data is stored as “Gemini in Workspace” in export tools, not as Google Chat data.
The update also appears to be part of a wider effort to make Gemini feel less like a separate assistant and more like a built-in layer across Workspace. Google’s help material says users can use it to summarise threads, prepare for meetings, generate action items, draft messages and handle scheduling. The learning centre also points to support for prompts that surface context from ongoing chats, helping teams retain continuity as conversations move quickly.
Google says the change will only apply to users whose Google account language is set to English at launch, with more languages to follow. For administrators, the feature is enabled by default when Gemini in Workspace in Chat and Workspace Intelligence for all apps are turned on. End users must be enrolled in Workspace Smart Features, after which Ask Gemini appears under Shortcuts in Google Chat and can also be opened with a keyboard shortcut.
There is also a temporary pricing and usage wrinkle. Google says Workspace customers will get promotional access to higher limits for Ask Gemini in Chat until 1 October 2026, after which usage caps will apply. The rollout begins on 26 August 2026 and will take up to 15 days to reach Rapid Release and Scheduled Release domains. Google says the feature is available to Business Standard and Plus, Enterprise Standard and Plus, and Google AI Pro for Education customers.
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