Do you dread composing long emails? Fear not! Thanks to Google, you can now rely on artificial intelligence to write your emails for you. This latest feature, known as 'Smart Compose', was rolled out by Google in 2018 as a Gmail feature.
The inspiration behind Google's Smart Compose technology came from the need for quicker and more efficient email responses. According to the tech giant, the average person writes 40 emails a day on average. Most of these emails are typically long-form and repetitive responses, such as scheduling appointments or answering routine queries. The conventional way of writing these emails can be time-consuming and arduous. In light of this, Google developed the AI-powered 'Smart Compose' feature to simplify the process of email writing.
The technology works by analyzing the content of your email and offering suggestions for your next sentence based on your previous writing style. Once you start typing in Gmail, Smart Compose will suggest possible sentences or key phrases that you can use to complete your message. All you need to do is press the 'tab' key to accept the suggestion.
Smart Compose incorporates natural language processing (NLP) technology to understand the intention behind the message and provide contextually relevant suggestions. The AI algorithms are designed to continuously learn from your writing patterns and improve its accuracy over time.
Google has provided several examples of Smart Compose's versatility in writing effective emails. In one instance, an employee was able to write an email ten times faster with the feature, while another study revealed that over 50% of relevant suggestions (given by Smart Compose) were accepted by Gmail users.
Another quantifiable example of the usefulness of Smart Compose is its ability to help underrepresented groups. The Google team found that the feature can aid users with disabilities or those whose primary language is not English. By offering suggestions and improving readability, Smart Compose enables these users to communicate more effectively and efficiently with their colleagues.
The benefits of Smart Compose are numerous. Firstly, it saves time for users. Instead of laboriously typing out each sentence, Smart Compose offers high-quality suggestions that are both accurate and effective, thus minimizing typing effort and reducing writting errors as well. Additionally, using the feature boosts productivity as users can quickly compose and send multiple emails in a short amount of time.
Secondly, the feature can help users improve their writing skills as they learn to write more concisely. Smart Compose prompts users to think about what they want to say and how they can clearly communicate their message to the recipient. This, in turn, has a positive impact on the quality of communication between users.
Finally, Smart Compose can help reduce email overload. By saving time and automating responses to common questions, the feature encourages users to respond promptly to emails and reduce inbox clutter.
Google AI Blog - Smart Compose: Using Neural Networks to Help Write Emails
Google Blog - Building a more helpful inbox with Gmail
Technology
Akash Mittal Tech Article
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