Google Cloud Next 2026 — this year's featured themes
Scheduled for April 22–24, 2026 in Las Vegas, Google Cloud Next 2026 focuses its spotlight on "integrating AI across all business processes."
While last year's Google Cloud Next highlighted enterprise feature enhancements for Gemini and generative AI integrations across Google Workspace, 2026 takes this a step further, advancing into a phase where AI agents autonomously execute business operations.
For viewers in Japan, keynotes will be live-streamed on YouTube, and Next Tokyo 2026 is scheduled to be held at Tokyo Big Sight on July 30–31.
5 new AI features SMBs should watch
1. Google Meet — AI meeting notes and automatic action item extraction
The AI features built into Google Meet are receiving significant enhancements.
| Features | Overview |
|---|---|
| Real-time meeting notes generation | Automatically transcribes and summarizes speech during meetings |
| Automatic action item extraction | Automatically detects commitments like "Person A will complete Task B by next week" |
| Catch-up for absentees | Automatically generates summary reports for participants unable to attend meetings |
| Multilingual real-time translation | Translation accuracy on par with Japanese-English simultaneous interpretation |
SMB use cases
- Automatically generate minutes for online client meetings to prevent miscommunication
- Automatically link action items from regular internal meetings to Google Tasks
- Overcome language barriers during meetings with overseas clients
2. Gmail — Evolution of AI email composition and smart categorization
Gmail's generative AI capabilities evolve from simple drafting into streamlining entire email workflows.
- Context-aware reply suggestions: Generates appropriate reply drafts based on an understanding of entire email threads
- Attachment summarization: Grasp the contents of PDFs and documents without opening them
- Automatic priority evaluation: AI evaluates importance and urgency to suggest processing order
- Automation of routine tasks: Semi-automation of initial replies to quote requests, meeting scheduling, and more
In many Japanese SMBs, staff spend 1 to 2 hours daily handling emails; cutting this time in half translates to hundreds of hours of productivity gains annually.
3. Google Vids × Veo — Business application of AI video generation
Google Workspace's AI video generation tool, "Google Vids," integrates with the latest version of Veo (video generation AI), enabling automatic generation of business videos from text.
Concrete use cases
| Application | Conventional method | Using Google Vids |
|---|---|---|
| Internal training videos | Outsourced production (500,000–1,000,000 yen) | Automatically generated from text input (no additional cost) |
| Product demo videos | Filming & editing (2–4 weeks) | Convert slides to video (a few minutes) |
| Recruitment PR videos | Hire production agencies | Produce in-house |
Included in Google Workspace Business Standard plans and above, allowing use at no additional cost.
4. BigQuery + Looker — Natural language data analytics
Adding natural language query capabilities to BigQuery allows data analysis without requiring SQL expertise.
入力例: 「先月の売上を商品カテゴリ別に集計して、前年同月比を棒グラフで表示」Integration with Looker makes it easy to share analysis results as internal company dashboards.
SMB use cases
- Automatically convert e-commerce sales data into executive meeting reports
- Integrated analysis of website traffic data (GA4) and CRM data
- Anomaly detection and alert configuration for inventory management data
5. Gemini for Google Workspace — Cross-app AI assistant
Gemini evolves into an integrated AI assistant operating seamlessly across Google Workspace apps.
- Google Sheets: Analyze with prompts like "forecast next month based on sales data"
- Google Slides: Automatically generate sales decks from text, with layout optimized by AI
- Google Docs: One-click summarization, translation, and rewriting of lengthy texts
- Google Forms: Automatically generate questions with "create a customer satisfaction survey"
Preparations needed for implementation
Checking your plan
Most AI capabilities are available with Google Workspace Business Standard or higher or via the Gemini add-on.
| Plan | Monthly fee (per user) | AI features |
|---|---|---|
| Business Starter | ¥816 | Basic features only |
| Business Standard | ¥1,632 | Meet AI, Vids, Gemini Basic |
| Business Plus | ¥2,448 | Above + advanced security |
| Gemini Business add-on | +¥2,712 | Full AI features |
Step-by-step rollout stages
- Check current plan: Verify under Admin Console → Subscriptions
- Select a pilot team: Start trial usage with one department (5–10 people)
- Identify use cases: Choose the 3 workflows where impact is most promising
- Define evaluation metrics: Compare labor hours before and after adoption
- Company-wide rollout: Gradually scale based on pilot achievements
Joining Next Tokyo 2026
Scheduled for Thursday, July 30 and Friday, July 31, 2026 at Tokyo Big Sight, Next Tokyo 2026 is the Japanese edition of Google Cloud Next. Practical content including keynotes, technical breakout sessions, and hands-on labs will be featured.
Advance registration with early-bird perks has opened on a first-come, first-served basis. It is a valuable opportunity to directly experience the latest trends in AI and Google Cloud.
Summary — AI features: from "usable by experts" to "usable by everyone"
The common thread among AI capabilities unveiled at Google Cloud Next 2026 is that they can be applied to business operations without specialized technical skills. You can analyze data without knowing SQL and produce training videos without video production experience. 2026 marks the turning point where AI transitions from being "the domain of select tech companies" to "a productivity tool for every enterprise."
For Google Workspace onboarding and utilization, see our Complete Google Workspace Implementation Guide; for details on Gemini AI capabilities, please also refer to the Google Workspace Gemini AI Utilization Guide.
If you would like support with Google Cloud / Google Workspace implementation, plan optimization, or AI feature enablement, please feel free to reach out via our Contact page.
