Editorial illustration for Google Docs' Gemini ‘Help Me Create’ writes corporate-speak drafts, rewrites
Gemini AI Writes Corporate Drafts in Google Docs
Google wants to be your new ghostwriter. The first draft it handed me was a memo from hell.
I tested the new Gemini 'Help Me Create' feature in Google Docs. It promises a shortcut past the blank page. What you get is a fluent, convincing document written in the precise dialect of corporate strategy sessions. It loves words like "synergy" and "leverage." It sounds like a vice president you would avoid at a conference.
I asked it to rewrite its own corporate sludge in the style of a WIRED journalist. It did. The new paragraphs were technically better.
They were also completely sterile, praising its own abilities in the third person. The tool is fast and knows your files. It just doesn't know you.
Not sure why any research assistant would need that.) Along with generating full drafts, the new Gemini features can also be used to adjust sections of the documents and do full-scale rewrites based on user suggestions. I asked it to rewrite this initial draft in the tone of a WIRED journalist. Almost immediately, Gemini regenerated the draft with fresh paragraphs that I could choose to accept or reject.
This new version was indeed better, but far from passable as something I would actually write. "The 'Help me create' engine is the standout here," read the new AI-written draft. "It's moved past generating generic corporate-speak, instead synthesizing live data points across your Drive, Gmail, and Chat history." I wouldn't be so sure about that, Gemini!
After a day of experimenting with these new features, especially in Google Docs, I'm of two minds. These Gemini tools are more powerful than past releases and were actually able to locate information quickly and accurately from personal data sources, like my inbox.
Its ability to search your Gmail and Drive is impressive and a little unsettling. It can find that contract from last year in seconds. But the writing it builds from those facts is generic. It defaults to a voice of bland, risk-averse authority.
This is not a tool for creating a distinctive voice. It is a tool for erasing one. For producing the kind of document that gets approved because it offends no one and says nothing memorable.
It is a powerful mimic. A very fast intern who has only ever read corporate press releases and quarterly reports. Useful, perhaps, for the first pass at a memo about office refrigerator policy.
Useless for anything that requires a human point of view.
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Common Questions Answered
How does the Gemini 'Help Me Create' feature work in Google Docs?
The Gemini-powered tool can generate full-length drafts, rewrite individual paragraphs, and perform complete document overhauls based on user prompts. Users can request specific tones or styles, such as rewriting a draft in the style of a WIRED journalist, with the ability to accept or reject the generated content.
What unique capabilities does the new Gemini feature offer across Google's productivity suite?
The Gemini tools now span multiple Google applications including Docs, Sheets, Slides, and Drive, providing AI-assisted writing and editing capabilities across different document types. This integration allows users to generate, modify, and refine content with AI assistance in various professional and creative contexts.
What concerns have been raised about the Gemini 'Help Me Create' feature?
The tool's ability to quickly produce polished, corporate-speak drafts has raised questions about originality and the role of human editing in content creation. Some critics, like the quoted researcher, have expressed skepticism about the necessity of such advanced AI writing assistants in professional settings.
Further Reading
- Product Hunt - AI Tools — Product Hunt
- There's An AI For That — TAAFT
