Gemini AI is available in Google Workspace bundles. (Image: Supplied)
With the recent inclusion of Gemini AI in Google Workspace bundles, Digicloud Africa partner Zila Tech is stepping up its efforts to lower barriers to entry and drive adoption of Google Workspace and Google Education solutions in English-speaking African countries, helping customers to achieve the productivity gains AI offers.
Gemini, described as an ‘always-on AI assistant’, was previously available as an add-on product. It has now been incorporated into the various Google Workspace products, giving users AI assistants in apps such as Gmail, Docs, Meet, Sheets and Chat.
Gemini also powers Project Notebook, a powerful note-taking and summary research tool that allows users to upload PDFs, websites, YouTube videos, audio files, Google Docs or Google Slides to be summarised and explained.
Fredrick Barasa Oundo, Customer Success Engineer at Zila Tech, says the Kenya-based Google Workspace reseller is actively working to raise awareness of the benefits of Gemini in the Google Workspace product suite.
Zila Tech sells and supports Google Workspace, Google Workspace for Education and also Chrome OS and Chromebooks, largely in the education, SME and start-up sectors.
Barasa Oundo says AI uptake has been fairly slow in his region in the past because the market is price sensitive. However, the inclusion of Gemini in Workspace is expected to drive uptake.
“Zila Tech has been working to educate the market about Gemini through webinars, face-to-face events and customer engagements, and the reception has been good. I would say 80% of the business customers we have talked to about AI are excited about it, especially when it comes to its potential to save time and improve efficiency. There is particular interest in using Gemini to help compose e-mails and generate content in Google Docs,” he says.
Google Workspace with Gemini assures enterprise-grade security and privacy, Barasa Oundo says.
“There is often a fear of the unknown, but Google, especially with Gemini, can actually help enhance your security. Google emphasises that the data belongs to you and is not in the public domain, which is starting to boost confidence among organisations,” he says.
The education sector is equally keen to use AI to enhance teaching and learning; however, this sector has resource constraints that hamper widespread adoption, he says.
“Zila Tech is currently planning a project in partnership with DigiCloud Africa, Google, financial institutions and digital content developers to help lower the barrier to entry for schools,” Barasa Oundo says.
“When it comes to Google Workspace for Education, there are a lot of features that we believe are going to help transform education in Africa. For example, Practice Sets in Google Classroom personalises learning and makes it more interactive for learners. That is going to transform a lot of African schools, especially in Kenya,” he says.
He notes that Google Classroom also supports remote and online learning, which has seen an increase since the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I think the African market needs a lot of awareness around the new tools that are available, and how to get the most out of them. Our assignment as stakeholders in Africa is to create that awareness, and I believe the market is going to grow,” Barasa Oundo concludes.
