Missed Google Cloud Next ’26? Here’s What’s New in Workspace Intelligence

Google just made the biggest leap forward in Workspace since real-time collaboration launched in Google Docs. 

At this year’s Google Cloud Next, the company unveiled its vision for the “agentic enterprise,” showcasing how AI is moving beyond isolated features into integrated systems that can understand, execute, and adapt across everyday workflows.

If you couldn’t join us in Las Vegas, here’s a quick summary of some of the biggest changes coming to Google Workspace with Gemini.

What Is Google Workspace Intelligence? The End of the Productivity Tax 

We all know the struggle: attempting to answer a simple question and ending up with 15 different tabs open as you jump between emails, slides, and spreadsheets. AI tools try to help, but they often can’t carry your context from one task to the next. There’s a “context wall” that forces you to start from scratch every time you switch apps.

But what if you didn’t have to? Google’s answer to this problem is Workspace Intelligence.

Powered by Gemini, Workspace Intelligence acts as a unified intelligence layer that lives inside every Workspace app. It maps relationships between your content, your active projects, your collaborators, and your organization’s domain knowledge in real time – giving Gemini the context it needs to provide more relevant answers and take meaningful action. 

With Workspace Intelligence, you no longer have to spend time and effort switching between tools to re-find information, re-explain your work, and rebuild context. It reduces the hidden “productivity tax” and lets AI do the heavy lifting for you. 

Here’s how.

Google Chat AI Features: Gemini as a Command Center

With the launch of Workspace Intelligence, Google Chat is now your centralized command center. The “Ask Gemini in Chat” feature allows you to simply state what you need, and Gemini will deliver the result directly into your chat window. 

Using “Ask Gemini,” you can:

• Surface urgent tasks and deadlines for a daily briefing of what matters most.
• Generate documents and slides and complete other complex tasks right within Chat.
• Schedule your meetings at a time that works for everyone.
• Find any file using just a description. 

In short, Chat now serves as a hub for both communication and immediate action. And that’s true even outside Workspace. 

Expanded third-party connectors allow Gemini to link your Workspace content and external tools like Jira and Salesforce into a single workflow – all without opening a single extra tab.

Gmail AI Inbox & Google Drive Projects Explained 

Gemini is also bringing powerful new tools to where you manage your communications and files. Gmail now features an AI Inbox and AI Overviews, with Gemini as your personal, proactive inbox assistant. 

AI Inbox provides a clear, streamlined snapshot of your most important emails and files – laying out your to-dos and any topics you need to catch up on. AI Overviews in Gmail search helps you find the information and answers you’re looking for, without having to dig around for them yourself.

Meanwhile, Google Drive is transforming from a simple storage tool into an active collaborator. Google Drive Projects is a new intelligent space that instantly organizes your team’s emails and files around specific workflows, generating content and delivering precise answers based on deep project context.

Reimagined Content Creation Across Sheets, Docs, and Slides 

Workspace Intelligence doesn’t just find information. It creates ready-to-use content across your entire suite of apps.

• Sheets: You can now transform raw data – from within Workspace or imported from apps like Salesforce – into interactive dashboards, and instantly generate custom project trackers and organizational structures from a simple prompt.

• Docs: Gemini acts as a collaborative partner that can generate fully formatted first drafts by synthesizing your emails, chats, files, and the web, perfectly mimicking your exact voice and style. Plus, it can seamlessly edit your document based on comment feedback – and even create infographics grounded in your business data.

• Slides: Gemini cross-references your scattered data (including live data from external tools like HubSpot) to generate an entirely new slide deck that applies your corporate branding and provides visible citations.

Additionally, the new Canvas mode provides an interactive editor directly within Gemini Enterprise, allowing teams to easily create and edit Docs and Slides – and even export them to common Microsoft 365 formats – without switching applications.

Taking the Next Step: Moving From AI Features to Agentic Infrastructure

Workspace Intelligence makes AI work the way you need it to. It’s no longer an assistant for isolated tasks, but rather an always-on collaborator that understands your entire workflow. With features spanning content creation, automation, and cross-platform integration, Google is building the infrastructure for truly agentic work.

Ready to bring these capabilities to your organization? Wursta specializes in helping teams navigate and implement the latest Google Workspace updates with Gemini. 

Book a free Workspace Intelligence consultation today to discover how Workspace Intelligence can transform your everyday workflows.

John Lawler is the Senior Manager of Workspace Delivery at Wursta, where he leads engineering teams to deliver cutting-edge Google Workspace solutions. With over 12 years of experience in the Google Partner ecosystem, including previous leadership roles at LumApps and Onix Networking, John is passionate about driving digital transformation, cloud computing, and enhancing the employee experience.