Gemini x Google Drive Integration: Fully Utilize Everything from File Search to Information Extraction and Project Proposals
Hello, this is the official note editorial department for Google's AI, "Gemini".
In this series, we introduce ways to use Google Workspace apps that increase convenience and productivity by integrating them with Gemini.
The theme for this time is "Google Drive".
If you use Google Workspace daily, such as Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides, you likely have various data accumulating in your Google Drive every day. However, aren't there many people who leave that data dormant in Google Drive, with most of the content going unused?
In this note, we will introduce ideas for using Gemini toeasily and effectively utilize the vast amount of content sleeping in your Driveeffectively. We will explain four usage examples you can incorporate into your work starting today, along with ready-to-use prompts, such as having Gemini think of new projects based on materials uploaded to your Drive or checking information just by asking Gemini.
First, please try it out from thefree"Gemini app", learn the Gemini x Google Drive integration techniques, and put them to use in your daily work!
Efficiency Boost! Things to Know About "Gemini in Google Drive"
Google Workspace apps and Gemini can be integrated mainly in two ways: "using the Gemini app" and "using the Gemini side panel in each Google Workspace app."
The"Gemini app"which can be used for free, is suitable for gaining new insights and ideas while accessing various information sources.
On the other hand, the "Gemini side panel" is a feature available only to those who have registered forGoogle Workspace or a paid Google One AI Premium plan subscription. From the Google Drive screen, you can seamlessly summarize specific files or entire folders, ask questions about file content, and more. Additionally, since prompt suggestions are displayed, it is extremely easy to use and can streamline your work.
By leveraging the strengths of each and using them appropriately, you can utilize the Gemini x Google Drive integration more deeply and efficiently.
Using Google Drive from the "Gemini app"
In the Gemini app, in addition to "searching for files from your entire Google Drive by specifying conditions," there is a method where you can attach specific files from Google Drive and have Gemini help you with summaries or analysis.
As shown in the image below, if you click the "+" in the input screen and select "Drive," you can specify Google Drive files. You can search for files by keywords, update dates, etc., and it is also possible to select multiple files.
Note that to integrate the Gemini app with Google Workspace apps such as Google Drive, you must first change the Gemini settings.
Please turn on Google Workspace from "Work Efficiency" in the settings below.
Gemini App Help "Use extensions in the Gemini app"
Gemini Extension Settings
The "Gemini side panel" that improves the convenience of Google Drive
When you click the Gemini icon in the upper right of the Google Drive screen, the "Gemini side panel" will appear on the right side of the screen.
When you open the side panel, suggestions such as "Learn about this file," "Summarize this topic," and "Ask a question" are displayed. By simply clicking these, text is automatically entered into the prompt box (the field where you enter prompts). If you are unsure how to ask Gemini a question, we recommend using these suggestions.
Of course, there is also a way to enter prompts from scratch yourself. Based on the prompt examples introduced this time, enter the content you want to know or want Gemini to help you with.
Also, when specifying a specific file, in the prompt box at the bottom of the Gemini side panel, first type "@" and select the specified file from the files displayed.
For summaries, select a file on the Google Drive screen and click the "︙" (More actions) icon to the right of the file name. If you select "Summarize this file" from the menu list, the summary will be displayed in the Gemini side panel.
The advantage of the Gemini side panel is that you do not need to switch screens every time, and you can use Gemini directly on the Google Drive screen. Please try out the usability in your own Drive.
※The explanation regarding the use of generative AI, including Gemini, is for illustrative purposes. Please verify the accuracy of the actual response results yourself.
4 Ways to Utilize Google Drive Accelerated by Gemini Integration
So, what kind of utilization is born from the Gemini x Google Drive integration? We will introduce representative utilization techniques by use case.
1. Easily extract information from materials within Google Drive
If you use Google Workspace daily, you likely have various materials and data accumulated in Google Drive. In your daily use, have you ever searched for a file thinking, "Where is that file...?" In such cases, if you use Gemini, you can find specific documents from the vast amount of materials in Google Drive and easily summarize their content or extract information.
This is a particularly useful feature for those who manage all their documents on Google Drive, including financial statements, tax returns, payment details, various reports, and sales materials.
In addition, the Gemini x Google Drive integration can be utilized in the following business scenarios.
Have long English reports or financial documents in Google Drive summarized in Japanese
Summarize @filename in Japanese
Summarize the key points of @filename in a Japanese bulleted list
Look up declared income or sales performance for a specific year or month from tax documents or sales performance files
Tell me the income tax for the previous fiscal year
Quickly obtain information during negotiations or discussions with business partners
Tell me the order volume for last April
Check the contents of company work regulations
I want to know the number of days of annual paid leave
As an example, use the Gemini side panel in Google Drive to enter the prompts above.
Then, along with the answer, the source file will be clearly indicated, making it very easy to check the file. In this way, because it reaches the information you want to know and answers immediately, you can efficiently and seamlessly make effective use of the content within Google Drive. Please try practicing this according to your usage scenario.
2. It also demonstrates its power in extracting and comparing information from multiple files!
The strength of the Gemini x Google Drive integration does not end there!
It is also possible to perform collective analysis or comparisons on multiple files in Google Drive. When you want to refer to the contents of multiple files individually, or when you want to compare files A and B, please consult Gemini from the "Gemini side panel" in Google Drive.
For example, if there are multiple versions of a manual, searching for where the changes were one by one is very difficult, and there is a possibility of accidentally overlooking them. Also, if you want to compare "year-over-year business conditions" from financial statements or reports that are hundreds of pages long, it would take a huge amount of time just to find the relevant information.
Therefore, by using the Gemini side panel and specifying multiple files you want to compare to Gemini, it becomes very easy to extract only the different parts or summarize insights on changes.
The following is an example of comparing reports created in different years in English.
Example: Changes in two reports
https://gemini.google.com/share/3fb398614f70
In this way, it compares two files and answers in Japanese. Furthermore, because it summarizes the key points, you will be able to realize that work efficiency is significantly improved.
In a business setting, there are also the following usage methods.
Specify multiple financial statements with "@filename" and summarize changes in business conditions
Compare the contents of manuals with different versions and summarize all changes
@filename1 @filename2 Compare the contents and list all the different parts
Furthermore, I will introduce examples that can be practiced in private scenes.
Save all utility bills such as electricity and gas bills to Google Drive and have it check for year-over-year changes
Save credit card statements to Google Drive, track spending trends from monthly statements, and use them to inform future spending habits
Get suggestions for new posts based on documents that record past social media posts and blog entries
Analyze areas of weakness based on past test results and use them as a reference for countermeasures
3. Quickly find files when you don't know the name!
When you are using Google Drive and get lost wondering, "I don't know where the file is..." or when you are trying to find a specific file among files with similar names, Gemini's natural language search is extremely useful. It supports file searches using natural language, even with vague terms like "materials related to XX" or "the meeting where we talked about △△."
For example, you can easily find the file you want just by asking, "Find files related to OOO," or "Materials for OOO created in November 2024."
Furthermore, if you add "summarize" to your prompt, it will tell you the overview of each file, so you don't need to open and check each file one by one. The target files can be Google Docs, Google Sheets, or even PDFs.
4. Propose new projects from Google Drive materials
For generative AI like Gemini, the accuracy of the response varies greatly depending on the content of the prompt. As explained in our previous note article "Easy even for beginners! Prompt techniques to get the answers you want from generative AI," the more specific the input, the more specific Gemini's response will be, allowing you to obtain output closer to your ideal.
You might feel that this "providing specific input" part is difficult, but on the Google Drive you use, there is plenty of content that serves as specific hints, such as meeting minutes, user interview sheets, and past project proposals. By making the most of these, you can have Gemini propose novel projects or buried ideas that you haven't thought of before.
Here, as an example, we will introduce a use case for generating new projects based on meeting minutes.
Even if various ideas come up during a meeting, they tend to get buried once time passes after the meeting ends. In such cases, try referring to past minutes to unearth ideas.
This is an example of a response where Gemini proposed a new project based on internal meeting minutes. It extracted hints that could lead to new projects without having to reread all the minutes.
It can also be used in various business scenes regardless of the industry, such as referring to past files to support work or proposing events from internal materials.
The possibilities expand with Gemini x Google Drive, start with a free trial
This article only introduced a small fraction of how to use it, but please also check out this video by "President Nisshi," who introduces work techniques using Google Workspace and Gemini.
If you would like to try using the "Gemini side panel" in Google Drive, please consider subscribing to Google Workspace or the paid Google One AI Premium Plan. Both have free trial periods, so you can try out the actual user experience.
You can also use the Gemini and Google Drive integration in the free "Gemini app." Please experience the convenience unique to Gemini!
Next time, we will cover the integration of "Google Docs" and Gemini. We will continue to introduce convenient ways to use Gemini and Google apps in this series, so please look forward to it.