Quick answer
As of October 7, 2026, "Google AI" means the Gemini assistant (app and Workspace side panel), AI Overviews and AI Mode in Search. Start with what your account shows: Ask Gemini in Gmail or Docs on a work account, or gemini.google.com on a personal one. Then run three tasks: draft a reply, summarize a document, ask a sourced question.
Key takeaways
- Google AI is not one product: the Gemini app, Gemini inside Workspace apps such as Gmail and Docs, AI Overviews in Search and AI Mode are opened from different places.
- AI Overviews appear on their own and, per Google, cannot be turned off; the Web filter shows results without them. AI Mode is opened on purpose, for example at google.com/ai.
- Two Google pages read on October 7, 2026 say different things about the Ask Gemini button in Gmail for Google AI Pro and Ultra subscribers in the US, so look at your screen first.
- Rule from this site: paste only what you would be comfortable having a reviewer see, unless you have read your work account's terms.
What does "Google AI" mean, and where do you find each part?
This site's start-here rule: on a work account, start with Gemini in Gmail or Docs (eligible plan needed); on a personal account, start with Help me write (US) or gemini.google.com. AI Overviews and AI Mode in Search are separate.
This site did not run these steps on a live account; they follow Google's help pages as printed on October 7, 2026.
| Tool (as of October 7, 2026) | Where you find it, per Google | Account or availability hedge, per Google |
|---|---|---|
| Gemini app | gemini.google.com on your computer, or the Gemini mobile app | A personal Google Account; a school Google Account enabled by the institution's administrator; or "A work Google Account with a qualifying Workspace edition.", for which the page adds "You must also be 18 or over." Google links to "Learn about supported languages and countries for the Gemini web app" |
| Gemini in Workspace apps (Gmail, Docs) | In Gmail or Docs on your computer: "At the top right, click Ask Gemini" | "This feature requires an eligible Google Workspace or Google AI plan." Age and language conditions: see the next row. For personal accounts: Workspace Experiments, a trusted tester program |
| Help me write in Gmail | Compose, reply to an email or open a draft, then use the prompt bar | An eligible Workspace or Google AI plan (multiple supported languages, globally); or a personal Google Account, "restricted to the US only". Google's Workspace page adds: "Be 18 or over." and "Some AI features may not be available in your language." |
| AI Overviews | Appear in Search results by themselves "when our systems determine that generative AI can be especially helpful" | Available "To all users" in the countries, territories and languages Google lists. Google says it cannot be turned off |
| AI Mode | google.com/ai; google.com after you enter a question, then AI Mode; or AI Mode on the Google app home screen | Available in the countries, territories and languages Google lists. Without history and personalized recommendations enabled, you "can't pick up where you left off with previous searches" |
Which Google AI tool does your account already have?
Check the account type first, because the steps differ.
- Work account on Google Workspace. Google says: "To check if you have access to Google Workspace with Gemini, look for the Gemini icon" in a Workspace app, for example Ask Gemini at the top right of Gmail or Docs; you can also contact your administrator, who can "Turn off access to the Gemini App".
- Google AI Pro or Ultra subscriber in the US. This site's tip: trust your screen, and if Ask Gemini is absent, try Help me write. Two Google pages, as read on October 7, 2026, say different things about it. The Gmail help page says "At the top right, click Ask Gemini" and requires an eligible Workspace or Google AI plan, without naming Pro or Ultra. A footnote on "Get started with Google Workspace with Gemini" says Google AI Pro and Google AI Ultra subscribers in the US "may no longer see Ask Gemini in Gmail or be able to open the Gemini in Gmail side panel", and that new in-line AI experiences in Gmail, such as AI Overviews and Help me write, "are available directly in the product." We found no date on either page.
- Personal Google Account without a paid plan. Help me write in Gmail is available to a personal Google Account but "restricted to the US only", so use it if you are in the US. Otherwise, or in addition, use the Gemini app at gemini.google.com, which lists "A personal Google Account" (languages and countries: see the table).
How do you draft a reply to a customer email with Gemini in Gmail?
Open the email on your computer, start a reply and use the Help me write prompt bar.
- On your computer, open Gmail and open the customer's email.
- Reply to it. Google's Gmail help page (Draft emails with Gemini in Gmail) says you can "reply to an email or open a draft" instead of starting from Compose.
- In the compose window, enter your message or leave the field blank. At the bottom, in the prompt bar, enter your prompt.
- If you cannot find the prompt bar, click Help me write.
- Click Create.
- To polish it, enter a new instruction into the prompt bar, for example "Make it more professional."
- This site's step: read the draft against the customer's email before sending.
Google says Help me write "proactively takes details from your other emails and Drive files," and that clicking Sources finds what Gemini uses.
How do you summarize a document with Gemini in Docs?
Open the document, click Ask Gemini at the top right, and ask for a summary. Google's Docs help page, read October 7, 2026, says the feature "requires an eligible Google Workspace or Google AI plan."
- On your computer, open a document in Google Docs.
- At the top right, click Ask Gemini. Google says: "When you open a document that has text, on the side panel, you'll find a summary of your document."
- In the side panel, enter a prompt in the prompt box at the bottom and press Enter. Google's example is "Summarize this document in 3 bullet points."
- To summarize one section, highlight it and ask Gemini in the side panel.
- To keep a result, click Insert. For a different version, click Retry.
Google says you lose your conversation history if you refresh your browser, close and reopen the document, or your computer goes offline, so insert what you want to keep.
No Workspace plan? On your computer, go to gemini.google.com and enter your prompt in the text box at the bottom. Optionally click Add files and follow the on-screen instructions, then click Submit. Google's Gemini Apps help page also says: "Gemini Apps can make mistakes."
How do you ask a question and see where the answer came from?
Use AI Mode in Search, then open its links. Google's AI Mode help page lists three ways in.
- Go to google.com/ai, or enter your question at google.com and tap AI Mode.
- Enter your question in the "Ask anything" bar near the bottom of the screen.
- To follow up, type into the same bar.
- To ask about a file, use the menu in the bar and upload it.
- Click the links for AI sources and try other Google Search results too.
Google says AI Overviews appear "when our systems determine that generative AI can be especially helpful", and that "AI Overviews can and will make mistakes." For plain links, run the search, then select the Web filter. Google's AI Overviews and AI Mode help pages say the settings they describe "are being updated so may not match your current experience", so check these options on your own screen.
What should you not paste into Google AI?
Rule from this site: paste only what you would be comfortable having a reviewer see, unless you have read the terms for your account type. Google's Gemini Apps privacy hub says: "Please don’t enter confidential information that you wouldn’t want a reviewer to see or Google to use to improve our services, including machine-learning technologies."
The same page says that with a work or school Google Account, use of Gemini Apps "may be subject to different data handling terms."
What should you do this week?
Pick one email you answer often and run the Gmail steps once. This site's suggestion: if Ask Gemini is missing from Gmail or Docs on a work account, ask your Workspace administrator which edition you have. See AI email responder for small business and AI automation for small business: a practical guide.
How was this page made?
We opened the Google help pages listed under sources on October 7, 2026. The steps use the pages' own wording (Google's AI Mode page mixes "tap" and "click"); where a page gives computer instructions we read those, not the Android or iPhone tabs. We read the pages from outside the United States, so Google may show other options by country.
This page was drafted with Claude, an AI model made by Anthropic, and checked against each vendor's published material on October 7, 2026. Anthropic is not the vendor described here.
FAQ
Do I need to pay to use Google AI?
It depends: Google says AI Overviews are available "To all users" in the countries it lists, while Gemini in Gmail and Docs "requires an eligible Google Workspace or Google AI plan."
Where is the Gemini button in Gmail?
Google's Gmail help page says to click Ask Gemini at the top right. Another Google page says Google AI Pro and Google AI Ultra subscribers in the US may no longer see it in Gmail. On a work account, Google says you can also contact your administrator.
Is AI Mode the same as Gemini?
No. AI Mode opens from google.com/ai, from google.com after you enter a question, or from the Google app home screen. The Gemini app is a separate assistant at gemini.google.com.
Can I turn off AI Overviews?
Google's help page says the feature cannot be turned off, but after a search you can select the Web filter, which shows only text-based links without features like AI Overviews.
Can I trust what Google AI tells me?
Not without checking. Google's help pages say AI Overviews can and will make mistakes, AI Mode doesn't always get it right, and Gemini Apps can make mistakes.