Google Workspace Updates, March 2023

Exciting new changes have recently been announced for Google Workspace. These significant updates will further enhance workflows and save time with repetitive tasks. At the forefront of the product releases are new experiences in the smart canvas (February 23, 2023) and a push to bring state-of-the-art AI capabilities (March 14, 2023) to Google products.

Please note that the updates will be rolled out to Berkeley Lab on Google’s schedule. Staff can generally expect to see availability of new features in the Lab Workspace through the coming weeks ahead.

Upcoming new feature to Google Docs to create custom building blocks. Image Description: Screenshot of the smart canvas menu in Google Docs to add a custom block.

Smart Canvas Updates for Google Docs

Custom building blocks: Build your own reusable components and access them from the @ menu.
Calendar invite template: Similar to the existing email template, you’ll be able to collaborate on an event invite before sending it out.
Variables: Pre-define and dynamically insert placeholders like “Name” or “Address.” Variables are the new version of mail merge tags.
Emoji voting chips: Add an option to interact with documents and express support using an @-voting chip to insert emojis.
Third-party smart chips: Information and previews from partner applications like Atlassian, Asana, Figma, and Zendesk are on the way.