GoKawiilChandraveer Mathur/ZDNET
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ZDNET's key takeaways
Gemini powers Help Me Write for efficiency in Gmail.
You can use Gemini or Claude to draft context-aware emails.
Testing showed Claude is better at matching tone and requirements.
Three years ago, I started using Help Me Write, one of Google's first attempts at applied AI. The writing assistant is built into Google offerings like Docs and Gmail, and I found it could draft whole emails from scratch -- all I had to do was sign off on them. As much as I like Help Me Write, I've noticed the Gemini LLM underpinnings powering it somehow deliver even better results through Google's standalone AI app.
Since I was feeding Gemini my email threads for drafting responses, I decided to compare Claude's performance. After a week's worth of testing, I surprisingly found Anthropic's tools write messages a lot as I would.
What I'm comparing, and how I'm testing
These rival LLMs offer multiple models, but I'm sticking to Gemini 3.5 Flash for speedy response times, accessed through a Pro account. However, it's available for free, with liberal usage limits. Importantly, I've switched on Google Labs' Personal Intelligence toggle under Attachments > More Tools > Personal Intelligence. It pulls actionable stylistic cues and information from my prior Gemini chats, adding a personal flair to the current responses.
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