Google adds ‘Ask Gemini’ to Chat, turning your workspace into a searchable AI command line

Google has announced “Ask Gemini” for Google Chat, a new AI entry point designed to feel like a command line for your work. Rolling out gradually from August 26, the feature lets you query Gmail, Drive, Calendar and Chat in natural language, then returns answers, summaries and drafts without leaving the conversation view.

Once enabled, Ask Gemini lives in the left‑hand shortcuts and can also be summoned via a keyboard shortcut. Users can ask things like “summarize last week’s project X discussions” or “draft an update based on the latest docs,” and Gemini pulls context from messages, files and events across Workspace. As part of the change, the old AI side panel in Chat is being retired so that AI assistance happens directly inside Chat instead of in a separate pane.

Ask Gemini will be available to selected Business and Enterprise tiers as well as certain education add‑ons, with promotional higher usage limits through October 1. For globally distributed teams, the update nudges Google Chat closer to being a searchable, AI‑augmented command center rather than just another messaging app.