Google will soon introduce improved spelling and grammar correction tools in Gmail that offer corrections as you type.
Starting August 20 for rapid release domains and September 12 for scheduled release domains across all G Suite editions, Google will begin applying AI to make real-time spell-check suggestions while detecting potential grammar issues. For some common spelling mistakes, it’ll also add “as-you-type” autocorrection for improved accuracy.
The inline grammar suggestions are a carryover from Google Docs, which gained them back in February 2019. Squiggly blue lines appear under erroneous phrases as you write them, and right-clicking on them accepts or dismisses the corrections. The Mountain View company says its engine can handle basic cases like “affect” versus “effect” and “there” versus “their,” in addition to more complicated rules like how to use prepositions correctly or to pick the right verb tense.
Google took the wraps off of grammar suggestions in July 2018 during its Cloud Next conference, where it launched in preview through G Suite’s Early Adopter Program. It’s just a modest improvement to the built-in assistance that was already there now easier and a little smarter. This AI-powered grammar checker has been making its way into Google Docs, and now it’s coming to Gmail. Google notes that machine learning and, by extension, some of these suggestions have the potential to “reflect human cognitive biases,” but the company says it’s “committed to making products that work well for everyone, and are actively researching unintended bias and mitigation strategies.”
