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Hey! Here’s what I’ve been watching this week in the AI world—plus a couple updates that actually matter if you use Google Workspace day to day. I tested a few of these workflows in my own routine (docs, email drafting, and research), and I’ll be honest: the “new powers” are most useful when you already have a messy inbox or a pile of docs you don’t want to manually cross-reference.
Let’s get into the three headlines that stood out to me.
- Claude Gets 2 New Superpowers
- Claude just got a meaningful update for anyone living inside Google Workspace. The big change? It can explore your Google Workspace independently to find answers, create content, and do research—while referencing sources and keeping things locked down with safety and security guardrails.
- In my experience, the “independent exploration” part is what makes this feel different. Instead of me pasting five different doc snippets, I can point Claude at the general goal and then let it look through relevant files. For example, I tried a workflow where I asked for a summary of our last quarter’s product feedback and “what we decided to do next.” It pulled together details from multiple docs quickly, and the source references made it easier to trust (or challenge) what it produced.
- Practical tip: Before you ask Claude to search, give it a clean target like:
- “Use only the docs in the ‘Q1 Launch’ folder”
- “Summarize decisions made in the last 60 days”
- “Cite the exact doc sections you used”
- That way, you’re not hoping it guesses what you meant—you’re steering it.
- Turn Text to 8‑Second Video on Demand
- Google rolled out a new feature in Gemini Advanced. With Veo 2 included, you can request an 8-second video clip at 720p on demand.
- What I like about this is the “small and fast” format. Eight seconds is long enough to communicate an idea, but short enough that you can iterate. If you’re testing hooks for social or trying different ad creatives, 8 seconds means you can generate variations without spending forever in production.
- What I noticed: Your results depend heavily on how specific you are. “A smiling person in an office” is… fine. But “a smiling support agent holding a laptop, modern office lighting, upbeat tone, text overlay: ‘Reply faster’” tends to land better.
- Practical tip: Try a simple template:
- Scene: where it happens
- Subject: who/what is visible
- Action: what changes over the 8 seconds
- Style: lighting, camera angle, mood
- On-screen text: keep it short (3–6 words)
- Notion Mail: Your Gmail, Supercharged by AI
- Notion Mail is here, and it’s basically Gmail with an AI layer that tries to make your inbox feel less chaotic. The promise: it helps organize emails into personalized inbox layouts, draft replies, and even connect meetings alongside your notes.
- I’m always skeptical of “email organization” tools—most of them just add another tab you have to manage. But the meeting + notes angle is genuinely useful. If you already work in Notion, the workflow becomes: email comes in → AI helps you sort and draft → you keep context in one place.
- Practical tip: If you try it, start with one simple rule. For example:
- Group anything with “proposal,” “pricing,” or “scope” into a “Sales Ops” inbox
- Auto-suggest replies only for repeatable requests (availability, basic questions)
- Turn meeting emails into note entries so you don’t lose follow-ups
Here are the tools/features from this week that I’d actually prioritize. Not because they’re flashy—but because they fit common real-world tasks.
-
Claude + Google Workspace exploration
If you manage projects in Docs/Sheets/Slides and you constantly hunt for “the latest version,” this is the one that can save real time. -
Gemini Advanced + Veo 2 (8-second video)
Great for quick creative iterations: hooks, product teasers, micro-tutorials, and social experiments. -
Notion Mail for Gmail workflows
Best if you already use Notion for notes and meeting tracking and want email context to flow into that system.
Quick reality check: AI tools don’t replace your judgment. They help you draft, summarize, and connect dots faster. But if your source docs are messy or your inbox has no structure, you’ll still need to clean up the inputs. Garbage in, garbage out—just quicker.
Use this if you’re planning content and you want a strategy that feels practical, not fluffy:
"Generate a comprehensive strategy for [specific platform or niche] that includes innovative ideas for content creation, audience engagement, and growth tactics. Ensure to cover key aspects such as target audience analysis, current trends, effective use of hashtags, best posting times, and potential collaborations. Additionally, provide tips on measuring success and adjusting the strategy based on performance metrics."
My tweak (optional): Add one line at the end: “Assume I can publish 3 times per week. Prioritize the top 5 actions I should do first.” That turns it from a big plan into something you can actually execute this week.
