Published Date:
July 8, 2025

Google's customizable chatbots in workspace

Plus: Build AI Mailbox Assistant with Google Gems, Perplexity Max's $200 subscription.
By
Evelyn Le
Strategic Product Lead, Stay Ahead, FlexOS

Google is rolling out ​Gems​, customizable Gemini AI chatbots, to the side panel of Google Workspace apps (Docs, Sheets, Slides, Drive, and Gmail).

Here’s what’s new and why it matters:

  • Instant access to AI teammates: Gems are available directly from the “Ask Gemini” sparkle icon inside Workspace. No switching tabs, no setting up workflows from scratch.
  • Tailored to your needs: Use Google’s premade Gems (like Copywriting, Brainstorming, Sales Pitch, or Learning Coach), or create your own with specific instructions and even upload relevant documents or spreadsheets.
  • AI that remembers context: Once configured, your Gem “remembers” its role so you don’t need to repeat prompts.

Gem is currently available for paid Workspace accounts with Gemini access. Gradual rollout starts July 2 and should complete in ~15 days.

Not sure where to start? Here are a few custom Gem ideas you could spin up in under 5 minutes:

  • “Inbox to Brief” Gem: Summarize the latest email thread with bullet-point takeaways before every leadership meeting.
  • “Investor Update Writer”: Pull data from your Sheets/Slides and turn them into investor-friendly monthly updates.
  • “Decision Support Analyst”: Upload key documents and use a Gem to simulate stakeholder questions and generate executive summaries.
  • “Client Email Stylist”: Adjust tone and structure of Gmail drafts to suit different stakeholder types (CFO, HR lead, engineer).

Each of these can be grounded in your actual files and adapted to your org’s voice. No need to write new prompts every time.

Your AI Team: Perplexity Max, Google’s Veo 3 rollout, Grammarly acquired Superhuman

Every week, I report on the top updates to your favorite AI tools. This week:

Perplexity introduces “Max”: an ultra‑premium tier built for power users

This goes way beyond a standard upgrade, ​Max​ gives you unlimited access to Labs, exclusive early‑access tools, advanced models, and priority support, all packaged for $200/month.

Key updates:

  • Unlimited ​Labs​ usage: Previously capped for Pro users, Lab access is now uncapped for tasks like dashboards, spreadsheets, presentations, web apps, and more  .
  • Early access to Comet & future tools: Max subscribers are the first to test Comet, Perplexity’s agentic AI browser built to support real-time research on the web, along with future premium data sources and feature rollouts  .
  • Elite AI models & priority support: Access to top-tier models like OpenAI o3‑pro and Anthropic Claude Opus 4 is included. Plus, you get priority support to resolve issues quickly .

Priced at $200/month or $2,000 annually, Max is built for analysts, strategists, researchers, content creators, and others who need relentless AI productivity. Whether you’re generating in-depth market intelligence, building data-driven presentations, or browsing smarter with Comet, Max is promised to bring productivity and insights to another level.

Quick Hits from your favorite AI tools:

  • iOS 26 ​adds calendar events​ from screenshots via Visual Intelligence: Apple’s iOS 26 now lets users take a screenshot and tap “Add to calendar” to automatically extract event details, perfect for busy execs who want to capture meeting invites or dates in seconds, without switching apps.
  • ​Grammarly acquired Superhuman​, integrating its AI-powered inbox tools into Grammarly’s broader productivity platform: The move brings over 100 Superhuman team members on board and aims to create intelligent agents for email, calendar, task management, and more.
  • Google Workspace business accounts are getting a ​major upgrade​ to Gmail search: Using Gemini, it now factors in recency, frequency, and contact relevance, moving beyond basic keyword results to surface the most useful emails first, saving users time digging through their inbox.
  • Google launches ​Veo 3 global rollout​ for Pro users: Google has begun rolling out Veo 3, the new Gemini-powered video-generation model, to AI Pro subscribers in over 159 countries. It can generate up to 8-second cinematic-quality video clips, with synchronized audio, capped at three videos per day.

Read more news at the end.

Lead with AI - Icon

Summer Break? Master AI While Others Slow Down

“The era of leading human teams is over,” said Marc Benioff.

But the leaders slowing down for summer won't know how to handle it.

Their summer lull is your unfair competitive advantage

In just three weeks, even on your mobile phone, you can now master AI and lead future-forward teams and orgs.

Need proof?

We’ve just graduated another class of the ​Lead With AI Executive Boot Camp​, now joining 1,000+ AI-first leaders who are redefining what it means to lead in the age of AI.

Eye-Opening, Game-Changing: Here's What Graduates Would Tell You:

  • 🙏🏼 “It has been an insightful, practical, and intellectual journey. Thanks for creating it!” – Shlomit Gruman- Navot, Chief People Officer.
  • 🙏🏼 “A game changer on my AI journey. AI really is the worst it will ever be and the possibilities will just increase. I am glad I jumped on the train.” – Erik Bergsten, IT Innovation Lead.
  • 🙏🏼“It has been fantastic! I’m so impressed with the team, the knowledge and curiosity for exploring new possibilities. Thank you all so much!” – Britt Lindqvist, Board Member.
  • 🙏🏼“Eye-opening course. Looking forward to applying my newfound knowledge and AI skills.” – Brian Aman, Sr. CRE Business Partner.

These leaders now have the mindset, frameworks, and tools to lead hybrid human-AI teams with confidence:

  • Scaling themselves with 5+ custom AI agents to lead smarter and reclaim time for strategy and creativity
  • Driving adoption through cultural change, not just technology
  • Educating their teams on AI limits, costs, and risks instead of treating AI as magic

And all in just 30 minutes a day, from the pool or your office – up to you!

You can achieve the same in just 3 weeks.

Each cohort is limited to an intimate group of 40 executives dedicated to driving AI transformation within their organizations or work.

​Secure your spot now​ and unlock these free bonuses:
  • AI Blueprint ($499): Essential tutorials to lead with AI
  • 6 Months of PRO Access ($174): Global leader community, 40+ hrs of content, bi-weekly masterclasses + a Q&A with Moderna's Head of AI
  • Learn ChatGPT in 7 Days ($99): Get 10x more from AI
  • Certification Program ($199): Two weeks of support + exam to earn your verifiable AI Leadership Certificate

Already busy in July?

Join the ​August 22​ or ​October 4​ cohorts, or ‍contact us for advice on how to learn AI best.

Become AI-Fluent in 3 Weeks
Lead with AI - Icon

(Want to reach 30,000+ business leaders applying AI in their work, teams, and organizations?​ ​Advertise with us​​.)

Tutorial: Build Your AI Mailbox Assistant with Google Gems

​In 5 Steps: Build Your AI Mailbox Assistant with Google Gems​

Stay ahead of your workday in just 5 minutes each morning.

With this Gem, you’ll get a crisp summary of your most important emails, decisions to make, deadlines to remember, and red flags to resolve, without digging through threads or writing prompts from scratch.

New AI Tools to Try: Olive, FunBlocks, and PokeCut

Looking for something fresh to add to your creative or business toolkit? These three AI tools caught my attention this week:

Olive: Build Dashboards from a Simple Prompt

Olive lets you create internal dashboards, admin panels, and support tools just by describing what you need in plain English. It connects directly to your data sources and is perfect for operations, product, and customer teams that need fast, custom solutions.

👉 ​Streamline internal tool creation with Olive​

FunBlocks: Turn Every Content into Mind Maps

FunBlocks’ AI Mindmap tool transforms any article, document, or transcript into an interactive visual map. It helps you break down complex ideas, explore subtopics, and export your thinking into presentations or documents.

👉 ​Make your thinking visible with FunBlocks​

📷 Pokecut: AI Editing for Marketing-Ready Images

Pokecut packs 50+ AI photo tools into one free, no-login-needed platform, from background removal, 4K upscaling, batch editing, and more.

👉 ​Elevate your visuals with Pokecut
Lead with AI - Icon

Meta’s “Superintelligence Labs,” Reskill vs. Replace workforce with AI, along with more crucial AI stories

Every day, Daan, Wendy, and I read all the AI news so that you don't have to.

Here are the must-read stories of the week:

​Laid-off workers should use AI to manage their emotions, says Xbox producer​

Xbox Game Studios executive producer Matt Turnbull suggested that AI chatbots, like ChatGPT or Copilot, can help recently laid-off employees cope emotionally and cognitively during difficult times.

​Mark Zuckerberg announces creation of Meta Superintelligence Labs​

In an internal memo, Zuckerberg revealed plans to unify Meta’s AI efforts under a new “Superintelligence Labs,” led by Alexandr Wang, with support from Nat Friedman and other top recruits .

​Case Study: Do We Reskill or Replace Our Workforce?​

A new Harvard Business Review case study explores whether companies should reskill existing employees through opt-in programs or replace them entirely, raising tough questions about cost, culture, and retaining institutional knowledge.

Lead with AI - Icon

Invitation: Join Our Masterclass on Microsoft Copilot Adoption.

Lead with AI PRO Member Marlene De Koning (HR Tech Director, PwC Nederland) will host an exclusive Masterclass on ​how to lead and build Culture with Copilot​.

She'll address:

  • Champion Copilot adoption across your teams with confidence and clarity.
  • Shift to an AI mindset—from task execution to strategic enablement.
  • Use Copilot as your leadership co-pilot—to prepare for meetings, synthesize insights, and make faster, smarter decisions.
  • Navigate change and inspire your teams to fly with you toward success.

You’ll walk away with:

  • Practical examples of how leaders are using Copilot to drive impact.
  • Strategies to foster a culture of experimentation and digital curiosity.
  • Tools to help your teams soar, starting today.

Want to join?

Then it's time to upgrade to PRO – now two weeks for free:

Go PRO. Join for Free.

Also exclusively for PRO members:

2-Week Free Trial.

Lead with AI - Icon

If you made it this far, reply and tell me what you'd love AI to take over in your daily workflow.

Also, please forward this newsletter to a colleague and ask them to subscribe.

If you have any other questions or feedback, just reply here or inbox me.

See you next week,

Daan van Rossum - Lead with AI

Daan van Rossum​

Host, Lead with AI

Evelyn Le

Strategic Product Lead, Stay Ahead, FlexOS

Google is rolling out ​Gems​, customizable Gemini AI chatbots, to the side panel of Google Workspace apps (Docs, Sheets, Slides, Drive, and Gmail).

Here’s what’s new and why it matters:

  • Instant access to AI teammates: Gems are available directly from the “Ask Gemini” sparkle icon inside Workspace. No switching tabs, no setting up workflows from scratch.
  • Tailored to your needs: Use Google’s premade Gems (like Copywriting, Brainstorming, Sales Pitch, or Learning Coach), or create your own with specific instructions and even upload relevant documents or spreadsheets.
  • AI that remembers context: Once configured, your Gem “remembers” its role so you don’t need to repeat prompts.

Gem is currently available for paid Workspace accounts with Gemini access. Gradual rollout starts July 2 and should complete in ~15 days.

Not sure where to start? Here are a few custom Gem ideas you could spin up in under 5 minutes:

  • “Inbox to Brief” Gem: Summarize the latest email thread with bullet-point takeaways before every leadership meeting.
  • “Investor Update Writer”: Pull data from your Sheets/Slides and turn them into investor-friendly monthly updates.
  • “Decision Support Analyst”: Upload key documents and use a Gem to simulate stakeholder questions and generate executive summaries.
  • “Client Email Stylist”: Adjust tone and structure of Gmail drafts to suit different stakeholder types (CFO, HR lead, engineer).

Each of these can be grounded in your actual files and adapted to your org’s voice. No need to write new prompts every time.