Google no longer hides its objective: to install Gemini everywhere, sometimes in any way or for no reason… but that is not the case here! After Messages, Photos or Home, the assistant finds a new playground in Drive. The web giant is introducing a function called “Folder Preview”, an insert at the top of each folder which offers an automatic summary of its contents. The AI ​​explains the nature of the documents present, their role or their context, in order to avoid having to manually search through a sprawling tree structure.
A little more Gemini in Drive
An “Explore with Gemini” button then opens a side panel, already familiar to users of document previews. You can ask specific questions there, even if the files concerned are several levels lower in the tree. The AI ​​can also respond to successive queries to refine the analysis.
Google presents this new feature as an evolution of its “nudges” launched earlier this year – simple suggestions that have now become real proactive analyses. “ Gemini will now provide information directly at the top of the folder view, so you can quickly understand what’s inside without opening the files », Explains the company.
The extensive integration of Gemini, however, risks raising eyebrows among users who are most concerned about their privacy. Smart previews are enabled by default, which involves AI analyzing file contents. It is possible to disable these previews, but this means cutting off all so-called “smart” features in Workspace.
Another radical method to prevent Gemini from accessing documents: change the language of Drive. For the moment, the function only exists in English, which completely blocks analysis in other languages. Organizations can also configure these options from the administration console. Finally, note that this new feature is only available today in the web version of Drive, with no timetable announced for its arrival on mobile.
As is often the case, Google reserves its most advanced features for those who agree to checkout. To benefit from these automatic analyses, you must be subscribed to a paid Workspace offer (Business Standard, Business Plus or Enterprise) or to the general public Google One AI Premium plan, billed at €21.99 per month. Classic Google One subscribers are not affected.
The rollout is underway and is expected to expand in the coming weeks. In the meantime, Drive confirms a trend now well established at Google: making Gemini the common thread of all its services with, in return, the rise of a two-speed Drive.
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