Let me tell you a story

I go to check my email in Gmail’s web UI. I see a few new messages regarding feedback on a project I’m working on. I click through to read one of them and the first thing I’m greeted with is a message summary I didn’t ask for generated by a language model.

I focus the message box to draft a reply, but there’s already one there. It was also generated by the language model. I delete it, replacing it with my own.

Afterward, I go to compose a new message. A colorful animation steals my focus for a second highlighting a new “help me write” button. I ignore it and move on to filling in the recipients and subject line.

I focus the message body area and underneath my cursor appears the message “Press / for Help me write”. Again, I ignore it and begin writing.

A few moments later, I start a new paragraph and pause. There’s a new message under my cursor now: “ Tab to improve”.…