Not only has Google created the new Google Cloud brand and introduced a number of new apps under the G Suite umbrella, but the company has also announced that it will be using artificial intelligence to beef up Google Drive, Docs, Sheets, Slides, and even Calendar.
So what exactly does that mean? Among other changes, a new feature called Quick Access, which is available in Google Drive for Android, is claimed to shave 50 percent off of the average time it takes to find a file by removing the need to ever search for it. That’s because machine learning predicts which file you’ll need to access before you try to access it, and will display those files at the top of the screen.
As mentioned, Calendar is also getting a few new features. Most notably, the Smart Scheduling feature, which was available on Android, is now being brought to iOS, and will come to the Calendar web app by the end of the year. This feature, which is also powered by artificial intelligence, suggests things like meeting times and room preferences based on the calendars of everyone involved in the meeting.
Next up is the Explore feature, which is making its way to Google Docs and Slides. The feature was made available in Sheets last year, and basically shows text, images, and more things that Google thinks are relevant to the document that you’re working on at any given point. You’ll also be able to use natural language to search through data and reports, and you’ll even be able to get automatically generated formulas in Sheets.
Last but not least is the new Team Drives feature, which allows teams to share a Google Drive account. Unfortunately, the feature is currently only available to those in Google’s Early Adopter Program.
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