Google
Gemini AI, Google's latest language model, is revolutionizing the way you create content within Google Docs, from drafting emails and reports to generating creative writing.
In this guide, we'll walk you through the steps to access and set up Gemini AI in Google Docs, explore its great features, and provide practical examples of how to leverage its potential for a wide range of tasks.
How to integrate Gemini with Google Docs
Unfortunately, Gemini's integration with the Google Workspace suite is not available to users on the free plan: to access it you'll need to subscribe to the Google One AI premium plan (or a work or school account via the Gemini for Google Workspace add-on) for $20 per month. Signing up for a personal plan is easy.
Log into your Gemini free plan account and click on the big radio button that says “Try Gemini Advanced” in the top right corner of the screen. Click (Start Trial) at the bottom of the new tab that pops up, choose your payment method, and click (Subscribe). When you sign up, you'll get your first month of service for free.
Get started with Gemini
Next, log in to your Google One AI Premium account and open a new instance of Documents. Select an existing document to open or create a new one. Click on the icon in the top right corner of the editing window, between the share button and your avatar, which will launch the Gemini side panel. Click on it.
The side panel is located on the right edge of the window and can be expanded outwards. It displays a set of suggested actions that can be taken on the user's behalf above the contextual prompt window. Use it in the same way as you would with the Gemini chatbot.
This integration works just like the chatbot version, allowing you to generate and rewrite prose, answer questions about the subject you’re writing about, and even generate images that can be seamlessly integrated into your document.
What Gemini can do with Docs
Gemini Google Docs boasts a wide range of generating capabilities. Naturally, you can create a variety of writing styles, from professional tasks like sales call scripts, business reports, social media captions, and email response drafts to creative tasks like writing poems, short stories, and song lyrics. You can also reference files on Drive and emails on Gmail directly from Gemini Google Docs.
But Gemini can also shorten or lengthen your text as needed with its summarization and expansion features. Ask Gemini to summarize a long document and get back to you the main points, or expand on existing text to add more detail. It can also rewrite entire passages upon request, adjusting the tone of your writing for different readers and social situations.
For example, I ran through my work experience as a journalist from the past decade and had Gemini write me a cover letter to apply for a general tech reporter position. The first draft was shoddy: the AI got my work experience in the wrong order, and the entire document was completely lacking in detail.
But with a few follow-up prompts, I was able to draft a workable cover letter and add specific job details to it. I wouldn't say it was easier than writing the letter myself (since I would have to redo it manually until it was up to par), but it saved me from staring at a blank screen in the first place and agonizing over a half-decent idea, and the suggestions on how to improve my writing highlighted gaps in my reasoning for hiring.
The AI can easily translate text into any of 40 languages and generate content directly in those languages. For example, during testing, Gemini quickly generated a 200-word argument in French in favor of eating a cheeseburger for lunch. However, I don't speak French, so I can't tell you if the argument was convincing.
What can you do with Gemini?
Even if you don't want to leave it entirely to the AI, Gemini has plenty of features to help you with your writing. One application Google keeps pitching in demos and presentations is using the AI as a brainstorming forum for brainstorming ideas: subjects, headlines, article themes, etc. Gemini can also put together an outline or story arc and flesh it out on your own.
It's not uncommon to get stuck midway through your piece, and Gemini can suggest ways to move your plot forward or alternative perspectives on your analysis. It can also act as a research assistant, gathering information on a topic directly in your Doc window and summarizing the results.
Gemini also edits and proofreads your text, going beyond simple spell checking to identify arguments and stumbling blocks in your writing and suggest improvements to further refine your ideas.
For example, I typed a recent article I wrote about a new advertising collaboration between WPP and Coca-Cola into a document and asked for suggestions on how to improve it. I received a surprising (and rather insulting) number of suggestions for improvement, including “provide more context in the introduction,” “explain in more detail the benefits of using AI in advertising,” “discuss the potential impact of AI in advertising,” and “add a more descriptive and compelling title.”
You probably wouldn't have implemented these edits when actually publishing the article, but these are all solid pieces of advice I've heard from human editors and could serve as a good starting point for a follow-up report.
