How the AI-Powered Inbox is Reshaping Email Marketing

Google’s introduction of AI-Powered inbox features marks a significant shift in how emails will be organised, summarised and prioritised. As both a Gmail user and a marketer, I’ve been watching these updates closely, particularly the launch of the new AI Inbox and the growing role of AI-generated summaries. These changes promise greater convenience for users, but they also raise meaningful questions for marketers about visibility, engagement, and how best to adapt email content.

Here’s what I’ve learned so far as I’ve explored what these updates mean for marketers.

What are the new AI features within Gmail?

• AI Overviews: Long email threads will be summarised into bullet-point overviews, and users will be able to more effectively search their inboxes using conversational language.
• AI Inbox: A personalised, AI-generated snapshot of your inbox that highlights urgent tasks (like bills or reminders) and groups key updates into thematic categories, helping users prioritise without digging through individual messages.
• Suggested Replies: An advanced version of Smart Reply, this is an AI-powered tool that generates one click responses.
• Proofread: As the name suggests, this proofreads your email, improving grammar, clarity and tone before you send it.
• Help Me Write: AI drafting tool that can generate complete email drafts, rewrite messages, and adjust tone.

A few important considerations:

• Some features are free; users will need to pay for others.
• Some features are already available or in testing; a wider global rollout is due later this year (exact date is not yet known).
• It is possible for users to turn off these features in Gmail, but they may lose existing functionality as a result.

It isn’t just Gmail that is embracing AI in inboxes

Microsoft, Yahoo and Apple Mail are all actively integrating AI features into their inboxes, with the broader market following suit. Some email clients are now showing AI-generated summaries in place of, or alongside, traditional pre-headers.  And even ISPs are turning to AI-powered spam filtering, meaning that AI is influencing deliverability before your message even reaches the email client.

Key challenges for Marketers in an AI-Powered Inbox

• AI will increasingly influence what appears at the top of user’s inboxes, if it doesn’t deem your content as useful, timely or relevant then it will get deprioritised.
• Even if your email reaches the end user, there is more chance that it won’t be opened, as users read the AI-generated summaries instead. This will impact your open and click rates.
• AI analyses patterns in users email history and behaviour when ranking emails. The less a user interacts with your emails, the less likely it is AI will show them your emails in the future.
• Gmail’s “Manage Subscriptions” hub identifies high-frequency senders, making it easier for recipients to unsubscribe. It is important that you review not just what you are sending, but how often you are sending your communications.
• Some email clients are replacing traditional pre-headers with AI summaries, shifting importance to the first few sentences of your email (as these generate the AI summary).
• Your emails need keywords that help them appear in AI-powered inbox searches, otherwise your recipients won’t be able to find your email after their initial interaction.
• Going forwards you will need to write your emails with two audiences in mind, humans AND AI.

Adapting your email strategy for the AI-Powered Inbox

AI is reshaping how inboxes work, and marketers need to adapt to stay visible. The basics haven’t changed, but new AI-led behaviours should inform every campaign. Here are the essentials to focus on.

• You need to convey your key message in the opening few lines of your email, as this is the text most likely to appear in AI summaries and influence inbox placement.
• Avoid ambiguity in your email content (use clear subject lines and headers, short paragraphs, and avoid including multiple topics within one paragraph).
• Make sure your CTA is written in text, as AI summaries pull through written content rather than embedded buttons.
• Keep the volume of links in your email to a minimum, as cleaner copy helps AI summarise your message more accurately and improves how your email is prioritised.
• Prioritise segmentation and personalisation to keep your emails relevant to your customers, helping you maintain visibility in AI-driven inboxes. The more closely your content matches a user’s needs, the more likely AI is to present it prominently and reduce the risk of de-prioritisation.
• Review your send frequency to avoid standing out in Gmail’s “Manage Subscriptions” view, which could increase the likelihood of your customer’s unsubscribing.
• If, and when, Gemini’s AI summary previews functionality is rolled out, use it to test how your email may be interpreted.

 Final Thought

AI-driven inboxes mark a fundamental shift in how customers will see, interpret and engage with our emails. As these features become standard, marketers will need to rethink how they structure and position their messages to stay visible. There is no single right approach yet, but adapting early and refining your strategy as technology evolves will be key to staying relevant.