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Last year, Google introduced the ability for Gemini in Drive to interact with PDF files, summarizing a long document into digestible paragraphs. Gemini now has some new tricks related to PDFs stored in Drive, going beyond just a basic summary.
Google introduced PDF summary cards for Gemini, Thursday. When you open a PDF stored in Drive, Gemini will proactively summarize the file's contents and suggest next actions like "Draft a sample proposal" or "List interview questions based on this resume." If you choose one of the preselected options, Gemini will open a side panel with your request.
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Prior to this update, you had to manually ask for a summary, and Gemini's assistance went no further.
"PDF summary cards save you time by giving you the gist of your files," Google said in a blog post, "and help you get started using Gemini faster by surfacing relevant clickable action options."
I tested the feature myself with a bulky 120-page document related to a grant I'm helping a local organization apply for. Gemini condensed it into a 500-word, eight-bullet point explanation that made the information easier to understand and showed follow-up prompts related to the purpose of the grant and what it covers.
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The functionality is available now in 20 languages.
To use this feature, double-click on a PDF from your Google Drive file list. The summary card will appear alongside the file's content (like you would usually see comments).
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