Google adds voice-based prompting to Workspace apps

At its annual I/O developer conference, Google announced that it is bringing a voice-based prompting feature to Workspace, its suite of productivity tools. The integration will span applications including Docs, Keep, and Gmail, allowing users to create drafts, take notes, and search for emails using natural language.

In Docs, the feature allows users to draft documents using voice inputs. Google CEO Sundar Pichai stated that “in the future, users will be able to create and edit documents using their voice.” For Keep, Google is adding a way for users to use voice to dump thoughts into the app, which will then use artificial intelligence to turn the transcription into a structured note or list. This shift comes as tech companies integrate AI across products, which has led to users getting attuned to asking lengthier queries. Voice provides an easier input method for these longer, complex, and multi-step requests, and current models can adapt if a user changes their mind mid-sentence.

In Gmail, the integration of the Gemini AI model will allow users to search their emails using natural language. Alongside these updates, Google introduced Gemini Spark, a 24/7 agent assistant that integrates with Gmail. This addition further expands the ecosystem of voice and AI-driven assistants designed to streamline administrative tasks directly within the user’s inbox.

The rollout of these Workspace features follows other recent speech-to-text updates from the company. Earlier this month, Google released Rambler, a dictation product built into its Gboard keyboard application that operates across various mobile apps. While Rambler focuses on general dictation, the new Workspace tools are designed specifically for application-level workflows like document editing and structured note-taking.

Google’s expansion into voice-based productivity tools comes amid growing competition in the AI-assisted dictation and note-taking market. Startups such as Voicenotes and AudioPen have previously established tools that transcribe and structure spoken thoughts into organized notes. Meanwhile, dictation-focused applications including Wispr Flow, Monologue, and Aqua have integrated similar voice-to-text capabilities into their typing products, raising the baseline expectations for mobile and desktop productivity software.

Why it matters

Google is integrating voice-based prompting across its Workspace suite to allow users to create drafts, take notes, and search emails using natural language. This reflects a broader industry trend of embedding AI into productivity tools to handle complex, multi-step queries as users become more accustomed to conversational interfaces.