Gmail search just got a lot smarter, thanks to AI

Gmail’s search function kinda sucks, but it’s about to get better.

On Thursday, Google announced a “smarter search feature powered by AI” in Gmail, which should display the most relevant results for your queries.

Until now, Gmail’s search would just show a chronological list of emails that contain the keywords you gave it. If your inbox is anything like mine, this is often completely useless, as nearly any keyword will surface hundreds of emails that have nothing to do with what I really need.

Now, however, Gmail’s search results will factor in elements such as recency, most-clicked email,s and frequent contacts. Google says that as a result, the emails you’re looking for will be “far more likely to be at the top of your search results.” What took you so long, guys?

The new search is now rolling out globally for users with personal Google accounts, both on the web, and in the official Gmail app on Android and iOS.

Once this is live, you’ll be able to toggle between “most relevant” and “most recent” options above the search results.

Right now, the feature isn’t available to business users, but Google says it’s coming “in the future.”