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Google Docs’ latest Smart Compose feature makes the service more like Microsoft Word

Google Docs’ latest Smart Compose feature makes the service more like Microsoft Word

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Why do all the work when an AI can help?

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Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Google’s Smart Compose, which includes predictive text, is now widely available in Google Docs. The feature has been in beta since last year, and it aims to help users reduce repetitive writing, spelling errors, and grammatical mistakes. It relies on artificial intelligence to predict what you might want to type next and retroactively correct any mistakes you make.

Smart Compose is already part of Gmail to help users draft emails faster. As a quality-of-life improvement in G Docs, it could also allow users to write more efficiently, putting the free utility on par with document programs like Word.

In G Docs, it’s enabled by default — users can disable it in their preferences tab — and is currently only available in English. It is available to G Suite Basic, G Suite Business, G Suite Enterprise, and the version of G Suite available to nonprofits.