Google says these things are AI-powered:

1. Help me write — “create entire email drafts for you based on simple prompts” (still in Labs)
2. Smart Compose — they grayed-out typeahead text you see when writing, like GitHub Copilot.
3. Smart Reply — The little 1-3 word reply buttons like “I’ll be there.”
4. Tabbed Inbox — Sorts into Promotions, Social, Updates, and Forums
5. Summary Cards — Like flight information from a flight confirmation email
6. Nudging — Putting an email back into your inbox if you didn’t get a reply

Those all seem pretty smart to me. My favorite AI tools are ones that don’t require manual prompting, unless there is a big benefit to manual prompting.

I can’t help but think though… are these really “AI” features? What distinguishes that anymore. They seem a little bit like… features.

Plus one big omission: Spam Filtering. The ultimate reason so many people use Gmail to begin with. Or is that firmly Machine Learning?