Gemini Spark, Google’s AI agent, is now available in Australia, and it’s already saving me hours of work. If you’re all-in with Google like me, it’s a no-brainer to activate Spark.
Chatbots can only do so much and require ongoing attention from the user. Agentic AI does not. Gemini Spark is a 24/7 personal AI agent that will keep working on tasks while you do other important things, like sleep. Officially launching to Google AI Pro subscribers in Australia over the next few weeks, Spark works continuously in the background after it’s been given a job to do.
Using Gemini 3.5, Spark operates on Google’s secure cloud infrastructure. To me, this is the key. It connects natively with your Google Workspace tools like Gmail, Docs, and Sheets with zero setup. All you have to do is grant access to your files. This is a big step but necessary for Spark to do its thing.
If you have Google Workspace, Gmail, Sheets, etc., you are already working in a secure environment. I would much prefer to have my AI agent made by the same company that hosts my critical data and apps. It won’t deny that it’s a big decision to allow AI access to your private data like Gmail. It’s a massive moment that you really can’t undo. Yes, you can turn it off or disconnect your apps, but the sharing has already happened. Spark will always operate under your direction. It is designed to ask you first before performing high-level actions like spending money or sending emails. It is very important to keep your accounts locked down with strong passwords and multi-factor authentication.
I’ve been using Spark for a number of tasks, including a twice-daily report on flights to Europe. I’ve asked it to check routes, dates, prices, and airlines. It created a spreadsheet that it updates on Google Drive. This is a huge timesaver and far more accurate than any ongoing search I could have done.
Here are some other suggestions from Google:
- Free-spirited traveller: “Whenever a new flight or hotel booking confirmation email arrives, automatically add the details to my ‘My Bali Trip Itinerary’ Google Sheet.” and “Find interesting local events and activities happening in Bali when I’m there and add them to my calendar on days I’ve got nothing else planned.”
- Weekend life-maxxer: “Every Friday at 8 a.m., find local events that you think I’d be interested in and add them to my rolling ‘Weekend plans’ Google Doc that I can check for inspiration on things to do. Include key info about the events or activities, including links to learn more. If there are 1-3 events that you highly recommend, go ahead and add them to my calendar.”
- Wedding party maestro: “Find my wedding RSVPs in Gmail, organise the dietary restrictions into a table, and draft a summary email to our caterer.”
- Savvy dollar-saver: “Every month on the 1st, audit my digital invoices in Gmail from the last month. Notify me about any subscription price hikes, or trials that are about to end and pre-draft cancellation emails.”
- Hustling entrepreneur: “Scan my inbox for customer inquiries. Automatically draft an email response recommending my services and pricing packages based on their request, and save it to drafts for my review.”
- Productive professional: “Read through the last 50 emails that I wrote and turn it into a style guide for how I write emails. Turn that into a skill that gets used every time I ask you to draft emails for me. Call that skill ‘ghostwriter’.”
As I said on News24, this is what I want AI to do. Actually be helpful. It’s performing mundane tasks but important ones. A Google AI Pro plan will give most people what they need. That costs $A32.99 a month.
Agentic AI is incredibly useful and Spark is simple to use so many AI novices can easily make the most of the technology.
