Pixel started the concept of “Feature Drops” at Google in December of 2019, with Android later starting something similar every season. Google Workspace is now the latest to get on the “feature drop” bandwagon.
However, this version is more of a recap of thematic Google Workspace features announced in the past month or so. For February, the theme is “new features that make research and analysis a snap.”
- Google Sheets: Powerful new AI analytical tools, including AI-generated charts and insights in the Sheets side panel
- NotebookLM: Your new favorite research assistant, now included with Workspace
- Gemini Deep Research: Deep, multi-step research capabilities come to the Gemini app
- Google Drive: Find the moment you’re looking for with searchable video transcripts
Gemini in Google Sheets can write “advanced multi-step code generation” in Python to generate insights and charts. It can “generate deeper insights about contextual trends, patterns, or correlations between different variables in your data.” Examples include:
- A marketing manager analyzing campaign performance can ask Gemini to “provide insights and create a chart about my top 3 performing channels by conversion rate,” and then receive a detailed breakdown with supporting visualizations like distribution plots and heatmaps to highlight channel performance.”
- “A small business owner managing cash flow can ask “Predict my net income for the next quarter based on historical data” to proactively identify potential shortfalls.”
- “A financial analyst investigating inventory trends can ask Gemini to “identify any anomalies in inventory levels for Product X” to uncover potential supply chain issues or unusual demand patterns.”
This was announced at the end of January, while the other Google Sheets update this month was pasting data 50% faster across spreadsheets, “filter conditions can now be set up to 50% faster than before,” and spreadsheets loading existing data up to 30% faster.
Gemini Deep Research also rolled out to Google Workspace customers, while Google is highlighting NotebookLM and NotebookLM Plus availability in recent weeks with this Workspace feature drop. Finally, Google Drive gained video transcripts with search.
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