How do you use AI to write emails?

Email is the easiest place to start with AI because you can judge a draft in seconds. The trick is to give the assistant what a human ghostwriter would need.

What the built-in email assistants do

Gmail and Outlook both have assistants that read your mailbox, so the same four inputs below still matter. Google lists these Gemini in Gmail jobs: summarize long email threads into concise bullet points, draft new emails or refine existing drafts for tone and clarity, and propose meeting times based on your availability in Google Calendar. Gemini in Gmail needs an eligible Google Workspace or Google AI plan; personal accounts can also try the Workspace Experiments trusted tester program, where features are in development and their quality and availability may vary.

What Outlook’s Copilot does

Microsoft Learn lists these Outlook features in Microsoft Copilot: draft emails, summarize threads, and use the coaching tips to improve clarity, sentiment and tone.

The four things to include

1. Situation: what happened and what the recipient already knows.
2. Goal: what you want them to do or understand.
3. Constraints: length, tone, things to avoid.
4. Your voice: one or two real emails you wrote.

Prompt templates

New email

I am [role] writing to [recipient and relationship]. Context: [2-3 sentences]. Goal: [what I need from them, by when]. Write a [short/medium] email in a [direct/warm/formal] tone. Do not use exclamation marks or phrases like “I hope this finds you well.” Here is a sample of how I usually write: [paste sample].

Reply

Here is the email I received: [paste]. I want to say yes to the first request, decline the second, and ask for the deadline. Draft a reply in under 100 words in my voice, using the sample above.

Tighten

Shorten this to half the length. Keep the ask in the first sentence. Do not add anything new.

Tone check

Read this from the recipient’s point of view. Does it come across as pushy or unclear anywhere? Suggest fixes but do not rewrite it.

Working with threads

For a long thread, ask first for a summary: “Summarize this thread: what has been decided, what is open, and what is expected from me.” Then ask for the reply. Gemini’s own thread summaries work the same way: Google says its Gmail assistant is meant to summarize long email threads into concise bullet points. This avoids a draft that contradicts something said earlier. Our note on summarizing long documents covers this.

Making it sound like you

Include a sample, and be specific about habits. “I write short paragraphs, start with the answer, and sign off with ‘Thanks,’” is better than “be casual”. For more, see how to make AI write like me.

Before you send

• Check names, dates, amounts and attachments mentioned.
• Confirm you would actually make each commitment the draft makes.
• Remove anything you would not say aloud.
• Read the first two lines as the recipient will see them in a preview.

Privacy

Do not paste client or personal information into a tool your employer has not approved. For Microsoft Copilot at work, Microsoft states that prompts, responses, and data accessed through Microsoft Graph aren’t used to train foundation LLMs. Replace names with placeholders when in doubt, and see whether it is safe to put company data in ChatGPT.

Going further

Once single emails feel easy, you can automate the routine: triage the inbox, draft replies for approval, flag action items. Our guide to automating Gmail with Claude shows how. In Learn AI Fast, the first hands-on lab practices this on a provided inbox.

Sources

• Google, Collaborate with Gemini in Gmail: “Synthesize long email threads into concise bullet points”
• Google, Collaborate with Gemini in Gmail: “Create new emails or refine existing drafts for tone and clarity”
• Google, Collaborate with Gemini in Gmail: “Propose meeting times based on your availability in Google Calendar”
• Google, Collaborate with Gemini in Gmail: “This feature requires an eligible Google Workspace or Google AI plan”
• Google, Get started with Google Workspace Experiments: “quality and availability may vary”
• Microsoft Learn, What is Microsoft Copilot?: “Draft emails, summarize threads, and use the coaching tips to improve clarity, sentiment and tone”
• Microsoft Learn, Data, Privacy, and Security for Microsoft Copilot: “Prompts, responses, and data accessed through Microsoft Graph aren’t used to train foundation LLMs”