How to use AI in Gmail? (and what to do if you don’t have access yet)

Gmail’s AI features are here—but not for everyone…

If you’re reading this, chances are you’re trying to figure out how to use AI in Gmail to save time and write emails faster.

Google has been rolling out new AI-powered tools alongside its existing features, including:

• Help Me Write – AI-generated email drafts from a simple prompt
• Summarize This Email – Quickly get context on long conversations
• Enhanced Smart Reply – AI-generated responses based on the full email thread

But here’s the catch.

Some features, like Smart Compose, are available to everyone—you just need to enable them.

Others, like Help Me Write and Gemini AI Assistant, require a paid Google Workspace plan—and even then, you need to join the Google Workspace Labs program to access them.

In this post, we’ll explore what’s currently available, how to get access, and a way to get around it. And if you want to learn about the best AI email assistants? We’ve made another guide for that :)

What AI Features Does Gmail Have?

Help Me Write (Limited to Google Workspace Customers)

When you think of AI in Gmail, Help Me Write is probably the feature that comes to mind.

It lets you generate entire emails or refine an existing draft with a simple prompt.

For example:

“Write me an email to cancel our meeting at 2 PM due to a personal matter and ask to reschedule.”

Useful, right?

Instead of spending your brain power thinking about how to phrase your email, you can simply enter a prompt and let AI do the work for you—handy for routine emails like scheduling requests, follow-ups, and polite declines.

How to Enable Help Me Write (If You Have Access)

1. Open Gmail and start a new email.
2. Click the sparkle icon in the bottom-right corner.
3. Type a short prompt, then choose Insert or Refine.

Who Gets Access?

• Help Me Write requires a paid Google Workspace plan—and even then, you need to request to join the Google Workspace Labs program to enable it.
• Free Gmail users don’t have access.

Don’t Have Access to Help Me Write?

If you’re not a Google Workspace customer or haven’t been invited to Workspace Labs, you won’t see these AI tools in your Gmail yet.

But that doesn’t mean you can’t use AI in Gmail. That’s why Gmail plugins exist.

Mailmeteor—a Google Workspace-recommended plugin, trusted by over 7 million Gmail users—offers AI-powered email writing inside Gmail without requiring the pricey Google Workspace subscription.

We’ll explore Gmail AI Assistant plugins later in this guide, but if you’re curious you can check it out here:

Add Mailmeteor’s AI assistant to your Gmail (It’s Free) →

Smart Reply: Standard vs. Enhanced (Who Gets What?)

If you’ve used Gmail for a while, you’ve probably seen Smart Reply—quick, pre-written responses like:

“Yes, I’ll be there!”
“Sounds good!”
“I’ll check and let you know.”

The standard version is available to all Gmail users, but if you’re a Google Workspace customer, now you get an enhanced version that:

• Reads the full email thread
• Generates longer, more context-aware responses
• Feels more like a human-written reply rather than a generic response

How to Enable Standard Smart Reply (For Everyone)

1. Click the Settings gear in Gmail.
2. Click See All Settings.
3. Under the General tab, toggle Smart Reply ON.
4. Scroll down and Save Changes.

Nudging (Available to All Gmail Users)

For emails you haven’t replied to, Nudging uses machine learning to detect which ones you’d normally answer.

After a few days, it automatically moves those emails back to the top of your inbox with a small reminder:

“Received 3 days ago. Reply?”

It also reminds you to follow up on emails you sent if you haven’t heard back.

How to Enable Nudging

1. Open Gmail Settings > See All Settings.
2. Under the General tab, scroll to Nudging.
3. Toggle on:
   • “Suggest emails to reply to.”
   • “Suggest emails to follow up on.”
4. Click Save Changes.

Collaborate with Gemini in Gmail (Limited to Google Workspace Customers)

If you’re a paid Google Workspace user who has been accepted into Google Workspace Labs, you’ll see Google’s AI assistant, Gemini, inside Gmail.

On any email, you can click the diamond icon at the top right or select “Summarize This Email” to:

• Get a quick summary of long conversations.
• Ask about specific details in previous emails.
• Draft quick replies based on previous messages.

Let’s say it’s late on a Friday, and you receive a long, technical email about an ongoing project. Instead of scanning through paragraphs of jargon, you can:

• Ask Gemini to summarize it.
• Use Gemini’s chat window to ask follow-up questions like:
  • “Explain this email in bullet points.”
  • “Remind me what we discussed last week about this project.”
  • “Suggest a reply.”

For users buried in email threads all day, this is a major time-saver—but only if you’re on a paid Google Workspace plan and were accepted into Google Workspace Labs.

What If You Don’t Have Access? (Your Best AI Alternative for Gmail)

If you don’t have access to the newer AI features like Help Me Write and Gemini AI Assistant, you’re not alone.

For one, these features require a paid Google Workspace plan—and even then, you need to join the Google Workspace Labs program to be a test user for new features before they’re widely released.

But don’t worry—you don’t have to start copy-pasting emails into ChatGPT just to get AI-powered email writing.

There are Gmail plugins that let you use AI directly inside Gmail—just like Help Me Write.

For example, Mailmeteor is the leading Google Workspace-recommended AI plugin, trusted by over 6 million Gmail users, built to be seamlessly intergrated into Gmail.

I mean, look how smooth responding to this email looks:

It offers:

• AI writing inside Gmail (without requiring a Workspace subscription)
• Email tracking (opens and clicks)
• Schedule follow-ups until you get a reply
• Personalized mail merge campaigns

If you don’t have access to Google’s AI tools yet, this is the easiest way to start using AI in Gmail today—without the wait.

Add Mailmeteor’s AI assistant to your Gmail (It’s Free) →

FAQ: Everything You Need to Know About Gmail AI Assistant