Gmail’s feature “Help me schedule”, which users can access by clicking the icon calendar icon with a plus sign on the bottom icon row, next to the three vertical dots of the “kebab” button. Gemini A.I. then scans your Google Calendar, identifies open times, then creates an interactive list of timeslots that the recipient can choose from.
The Five Most-Key Takeaways from This Blog Post
- Double-checking your calendar to cross-reference it against the proposed times by the “Help me schedule” feature is wise.
- This feature can save time in the whole back-and-forth of “What times work for you?” Sending the list of selectable options can simplify and speed up the process.
- On top of that, once a time is selected by the recipient, Gemini A.I. will automatically create a Google Calendar invite for everyone.
- Do not underestimate the visual power of the mini Google Calendar that pops up in the email when you use this email. This interactivity can make email correspondence more engaging for recipients, clients and customers among them.
- Since scheduling meetings and appointments is integral to many businesses, regularly using this feature could be great for making the scheduling process easier and speedier.
The Significance for Business Owners
Convenience is one of the major offerings that come with artificial intelligence. When you boil it down, convenience is probably the central benefit of “Help me schedule”.
Given how many businesses rely on Gmail for communication internally and externally, such a feature has potential.
Throw on top of that just how many emails are constantly hitting the inbox of business owners and employees alike, the convenience factor really does seem like a significant X factor.
Even when you diligently double-check your own Google Calendar when using this Gmail feature, you are still saving time. That’s because normally you would be scouring the calendar for blank spaces in your schedule. When Gemini finds those blank spaces for you, you have already skipped a step ahead.
More Than Words
One of the significant things worth pointing out about this feature is that it adds an interesting visual element to the emailing process.
As the fourth Key Takeaway above points to, an email that has more than just text in the “body text” can be more interesting. As a result it could make the communication feel more interesting for the recipient.
The visual box of selectable Google Calendar timeslots could indicate where things are headed for text-based communications, in Gmail and beyond, thanks to A.I..
Generative A.I. can readily whip up polls, interactive choice boxes, and other interesting media to insert into text chats.
As agentic A.I. expands, expect companies like Google to provide you with options that go beyond just text in these historically text-based operations.
This in turn can be a boon to communications going forward, from texting to emailing to direct-messaging on social media, and the like.
However, the downside of this is that if it becomes normalized to include more than just text in the average communication, there could be something fatiguing in the overload of boxes, graphics, and other generations.
So, in moderation is key with these more-than-words A.I. contributions to primarily written communications.
Agentic A.I.’s Gradual Implementation in Popular Platforms
Agentic A.I.’s presence is growing in preexisting platforms like Gmail.
Sometimes, the changes are so (or arguably too) subtle for people to even notice. If you had not heard of this feature before encountering this article, then that may be because you just did not notice the icon in the icon row of your Gmail email draft’s box.
Or, if you had noticed it, you may not have realized what it did and so may have just avoided looking into it.
Well, know you know about this feature.
There do not seem to be any real downsides to using this feature, considering that Gmail and Google Calendar are already connected. You would only invite in downsides if you do not diligently double-check the available times to see whether you are available.
The Last (But Not Least) Key Takeaway from This Blog Post
Start using this feature internally to see how you like it, then if you feel it is a good, begin using it externally.
Other Great GO AI Blog Posts
GO AI the blog offers a combination of information about, analysis of, and editorializing on A.I. technologies of interest to business owners, with especial focus on the impact this tech will have on commerce as a whole.
On a usual week, there are multiple GO AI blog posts going out. Here are some notable recent articles:
- For Businesses and Other Organizations, What Makes a Successful Chatbot?
- IBM Watson vs. ChatGPT vs. Gemini: How Will Each Affect Search Engines?
- Using A.I. to Find Resources for Business Owners
- How Would Restricting Open-Source A.I. Affect Business Owners?
- The EU’s A.I. Act Has Become Law: The Implications for Business Owners (Especially American)
In addition to our GO AI blog, we also have a blog that offers important updates in the world of search engine optimization (SEO), with blog posts like “Google Ends Its Plan to End Third-Party Cookies”.
GO Deeper on Substack!
If you want to get a bigger-picture view on where A.I. is and is headed, then check out our Substack to learn about emerging and dominant themes in the A.I. industry that affect all kinds of businesses!
SOCIAL-MEDIA VERSION
Gmail’s “Help me schedule” feature can add some convenience when you are writing an email to schedule a Google Calendar event with someone.
In the icon row at the bottom of the draft window, click the calendar with the plus sign.
Gemini will promptly search through your Google Calendar and generate a choice box of timeslots that the email’s recipient can choose from.
?Once the recipient chooses a timeslot, a Google Calendar event will automatically be created.
Double checking is key here, but once you do that you can enjoy plenty of convenience, among other benefits outlined in the GO AI blog post about this feature.
