Big AI changes are coming to Google Workspace

• AI is going to touch our lives in more ways real soon — including in tools you probably use frequently, like Google's Workplace.
• That's the main takeaway from the annual Google I/O developer conference.

Google hosted its annual developer conference in Mountain View, California, on Wednesday, stuffing product announcements and AI updates into a few hours.

It was a slick production, complete with a zinger for Apple, and a loud round of applause for the introduction of Dark Mode on Google's Bard.

The standout announcements:

• Your Google Search experience will soon feel very different, with AI-generated answers prioritized at the top of the page.
• AI will be integrated across Google Workspace. Soon, you'll be able to ask Gmail to draft your email responses for you by clicking on a 'Help me write' button.

The changes to search will likely have the most immediate impact. Google.com is the most trafficked website in the world, and any changes there will be felt almost instantly.

But the integration of AI tools into Workspace apps strikes me as hugely impactful over the long term. Billions of people use Gmail, Docs, Sheets, and other tools. Soon, they will be supercharged with AI.