Though the company is hoping to position Workspace as a rival to Microsoft’s software, Google is still playing catch-up, one analyst said.
Google is jazzing up videoconferencing and chat features in its Workspace suite with new generative AI (genAI) features, including image and background enhancements for Google Meet and built-in translation for Google Chat, the company said on its Workspace update page.
The latest features rely on Google’s Gemini AI model, which the company is integrating into its Workspace Business and Enterprise plans. The company started the integration earlier this year without the need for customers to buy an add-on plan for Gemini.
The Gemini model used for Google Meet can generate or improvise custom backgrounds, touch up the looks of a participant in a meeting and use machine-learning to reduce background noise and adjust lighting. And Google Chat now gets built-in real-time translation features for 120 languages. Because the feature is built on Gemini, users don’t have to switch to another window to translate.
Systems administrators can decide which users get access to the features, and the users can then choose whether to enable the new options.
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Google’s efforts to include better Gemini-powered tools in Workspace — and now offering them for no additional charge — make the software more competitive, said J.P. Gownder, vice president and principal analyst at Forrester Research. “But Microsoft isn’t standing still, and Microsoft 365 Copilot continues to improve,” he said. “It remains a big challenge for Workspace to unseat Microsoft 365, regardless of the quality of individual Gemini-based features.”
Over time, Google’s investments in AI and migration tools might reach a tipping point for some companies to switch. But most of Workspace’s problems lie outside of the AI space.
“Transitioning from the Microsoft stack, and the millions of documents a large company has in Office formats, is a daunting challenge, despite Google’s attempts to create migration tools,” Gownder said.
Organizations would have to overcome a great deal of inertia to make the switch, Gownder said. “Imagine using thousands of Excel macros in the finance department, all of which no longer work in Workspace. And Google Workspace hasn’t reached feature parity with Microsoft 365,” he said.
As for Microsoft, it recently announed it was shutting down Skype and moving the software’s functionality to Teams. Videoconferencing providers are also constantly plugging more AI tools into interfaces; Zoom has a feature to touch-up appearances, and also provides an AI assistant.
Source: https://www.computerworld.com/
