Google Cloud on Thursday launched the Gemini agent, a single AI assistant designed to do workplace tasks on its own: answer questions, handle tasks, create content, and write code. It works directly inside Gmail, Docs, Sheets, and Calendar, and also connects to Microsoft 365 and Slack.
Why it matters: This is the next step in the race to sell autonomous AI for the office. OpenAI launched always-on agents called "dots" in September, and Meta's personal AI agent "Muse" can shop, book travel, and send emails. Google's version stands out by automatically picking the best model for each task — it runs on Gemini models and Anthropic's Claude models today, with more to be added. Employers can also create "coworker agents" with their own email addresses that only see the information they are given. Versions for financial services and legal work are in preview now, with government, healthcare, and retail versions coming. If your business relies on Google Workspace, this is a signal that AI task-doing will soon sit inside the tools your staff already uses.
