Gemini and the Google AI Ecosystem · Lesson 1
Gemini Inside Gmail and Docs
Scenarios for working with Gemini in your inbox and documents.
Where Gemini lives
Gemini is built into Gmail (Help me write, thread summaries), Docs (help with drafts, summaries), Drive (search by content), Sheets (formula assistance), Slides.
Basic scenarios
- In Gmail: hit "summarize this thread" on a long exchange — it saves minutes.
- In Docs: ask it to rewrite a paragraph in a more business tone.
- In Drive: ask search in the style "find documents about X that mention client Y".
- In Sheets: formulas and quick analysis of a range.
When Gemini wins
- When the context already lives in Workspace.
- When you need a long context (1M tokens on Pro).
- When you need multimodality with video and audio.
When Claude/GPT is better
- When you need a particular style/tone.
- When you need a large ecosystem of plugins / custom GPTs.
- When you want to work outside Google.
Practical exercise
What to do after this lesson
Open Gmail. Find a thread of 10+ messages. Use summarize. Compare it with how you'd do it yourself.
Task grader
Open Gmail. Find a thread of 10+ messages. Use summarize. Compare it with how you'd do it yourself.
Ready-to-use prompt
Template for this lesson
Copy and adapt to your context. Text in angle brackets should be replaced.
(Use Gemini's built-in actions in Workspace or in gemini.google.com) Context / document: <…> Task: <pick one — summary / rewrite a paragraph / extract action items / find contradictions>
Prompt sandbox
Common mistakes
What people get wrong
- They ignore Gemini's built-in features and copy text into another assistant.
- They use Gemini for tasks that need a brand voice and are surprised by the generic output.
- They don't realize Gemini has access to their Drive (with permission).
Pro tips
What works but no one documents
- Long threads are the main summary scenario in Gmail.
- In Docs use Gemini for reviewing paragraphs, not for generating from scratch.
- For Drive search, phrase the query in natural language, not as a file search.
When to use
Work inside Google Workspace.
When not to use
When you need a particular style or a non-Google environment.
Official sources
Quiz — 2 questions
1.The main advantage of Gemini inside Workspace?
2.When is it better to choose Claude/GPT over Gemini in Workspace?
Answered: 0 of 2
Discussion
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