Google is using AI for the most mundane job that humanity has to endure in modern times – responding to mundane emails. In an interview at the SXSW London festival, Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis has confirmed that the team is utilising the power of generative AI to make the next generation of email. In his words, Hassabis says that the email of the future will take care of responding to mundane emails in your voice.
“The thing I really want – and we’re working on – is can we have a next-generation email. I would love to get rid of my email. I would pay thousands of dollars per month to get rid of that,” said Hassabis when asked about his view on the usefulness of AI in the future. He said that AI has the capability to cure all diseases and solve the climate crisis but there are other mundane issues, like responding to emails, that need to be addressed first.
When Hassabis was asked about how AI would take care of the emails, he said “something that would just understand what are the bread-and-butter emails, and answer in your style – and maybe make some of the easier decisions.”
Although no further information was shared, it seems that DeepMind still has some work left on the project before making it public. Whenever the feature is ready, Google could deploy it as part of its premium AI subscription model and eventually release it for the free-tier users. Google’s email client, Gmail, already offers integrated Gen-AI reply suggestions for making email bodies sound nicer depending on the chosen tone of voice.
AI to make future life easier
Hassabis also shed light on how AI could help with digital detoxing in the future. “I’m very excited about the idea of a universal AI assistant that knows you really well, enriches your life by maybe giving you amazing recommendations, and helps to take care of mundane chores for you. [It] basically gives you more time and maybe protects your attention from other algorithms trying to gain your attention. I think we can actually use AI in service of the individual,” he said.
