Shortwave, the email client developed by former Google employees, takes a smart leap forward by introducing its AI-powered assistant. It’s designed to transform the way users interact with their email inboxes.Shortwave’s new virtual assistant, reminiscent of something straight out of science fiction, promises to reshape email management.
Natural Language Queries Made Possible
One of the standout features of Shortwave’s AI assistant is its ability to comprehend and respond to natural language queries. Gone are the days of painstakingly sorting through email archives or relying on keyword searches.
Users can now simply ask questions like, “Which emails discussed my upcoming presentation this week?”. A dedicated AI icon in the email client’s top right corner makes exploring this capability as easy as a click.
Advanced Formatting and Summarization
Shortwave’s AI assistant doesn’t stop at search. Thanks to the proficiency of Large Language Models (LLMs), users can also use its power for tasks like email summarization and formatting. Imagine saying, “Summarize the email thread about our next product development.” Watch as the assistant effortlessly transform scattered email threads into concise summaries. This feature builds on the foundation laid by Shortwave’s earlier email summarization release in March.
A Multifaceted AI Tool
Beyond search and summarization, Shortwave’s AI assistant has other capabilities like: composing drafts in various formats, refining writing skills, translating text within emails, summarizing conversations, and making emails more concise. It can even access your calendar, helping you schedule meetings with proposed timings.
The Technology Behind the Magic
Shortwave’s CEO, Andrew Lee, sheds light on the technology underpinning their assistant. It leverages a combination of different models, including InstructoXL and GPT-3.5 for search functionalities, Pinecone’s vector database solution for contextual information, MS Marco for email re-ranking after search retrieval, and GPT-4 for final user-facing outputs. More importantly, Shortwave emphasizes that these models are not trained on user data; privacy protection is the top priority.
Expanding Beyond Email
Shortwave goes beyond email-related features by integrating GPT-based models for web-based knowledge searches within the app. Users can inquire about the latest iPhone prices and screen sizes without ever leaving the Shortwave email client.
Providing Access to All
The beauty of Shortwave’s AI assistant is its accessibility. It’s available to all users, including those on the free plan. However, some advanced features, like in-depth search capabilities, may require an upgrade to the Standard plan.
Shortwave is actively seeking user feedback to shape its development and enhance its capabilities.
