Gemini is now built into Gmail

Google recently rolled out one of its biggest Gmail updates in years by integrating Gemini directly into the inbox. Predictably, the first reaction across LinkedIn and X was loud and dramatic: cold email is dead, AI killed outbound, sales emails won’t reach anyone anymore.

Before joining that chorus, it’s worth taking a step back and looking at what actually changed — and what didn’t.

For context, I’m Rinat, founder of Sally, a B2B outbound agency, and Crona, an AI-powered platform that turns websites and directories into structured ICP lists with verified contacts.

We run outbound programs for SaaS and tech companies across the US and Europe, so changes in inbox mechanics are not abstract news for us, they directly affect live pipelines.

What the Gemini update does not change

Despite the panic, Gemini does not affect spam filters or deliverability.

If your emails were landing in inboxes before the update, they will continue to land now. The technical layer of email delivery has not changed. There is no new blocking logic, no hidden AI switch that kills cold outreach at the infrastructure level.

That part of the system remains exactly the same.

What actually changed: the interaction layer

The real shift happens after the email reaches the inbox.

Gemini now acts as an AI assistant inside Gmail. It scans incoming emails, generates short summaries, highlights what seems important, and suggests next steps. This is not a filter and not a blocker. It’s a prioritization layer that helps users decide where to focus their attention first.

In practice, Gemini behaves less like a gatekeeper and more like a secretary who pre-sorts incoming messages.

Why AI summaries won’t replace the main inbox

One important nuance often missed in early takes is that there is no standalone “AI inbox mode” that replaces the regular inbox entirely.

Especially in corporate environments, people are unlikely to rely 100% on AI summaries. Delegating inbox decisions fully to AI increases the risk of missing critical messages, which most teams are not comfortable with. Users will continue to open and scan their main inbox manually.

What changes is attention order. Emails surfaced by Gemini get looked at first. Everything else competes for what’s left.

Cold emails are now evaluated twice

This is where the shift becomes relevant for outbound teams.

Emails are no longer judged only by human recipients. They are evaluated twice: first by AI, then by a human. Gemini decides how your message is summarized and whether it is surfaced early or pushed down the list.

In many cases, the recipient’s first exposure to your email will not be the full text, but a one-sentence AI summary.

That single sentence now carries disproportionate weight.

Clear context and fast time-to-value become mandatory

In an AI-mediated inbox, two factors decide whether an email gets attention.

The first is context.

It must be immediately clear who you are, why you’re reaching out, and why the message matters now. Vague openings and generic intros lose relevance faster than ever.

The second is time-to-value.

Many outbound sequences are built around the idea that value unfolds over time — the second email adds context, the third builds relevance, the fifth finally delivers insight. In an AI-mediated inbox, that approach breaks. Value has to be obvious immediately, not later in the sequence.

TL;DR

Cold email is still very much alive. What has changed is the margin for error.

AI didn’t kill outreach but removed the buffer that previously allowed vague messaging, delayed value, and generic positioning to occasionally slip through. The minimum quality bar is higher now, and it’s unlikely to go down.

For teams that already focus on clarity, relevance, and early value, this shift is not a threat. It’s an advantage.

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📩 At Sally, we build outbound systems that help B2B teams reach enterprise-level buyers and turn conversations into predictable revenue.