Process automation in your SME: what to automate first
Process automation is about making a repetitive task in your business run on its own, according to rules…
Read article →August 5, 2026
AI for business
Google's AI for business: what Gemini is and how to use it
The Google's AI It's Gemini, the assistant already included in the search engine, Gmail, Docs, and Android phones. In a business, it serves three specific purposes: writing and responding faster, summarizing long documents, and preparing proposals without starting from a blank page. It's available as a free trial, and paid plans start at 19,900 pesos per month.
Almost everyone tried ChatGPT first, was impressed one afternoon, and then stopped using it. Meanwhile, Google integrated its assistant into the tools your team uses every day: email, spreadsheets, search, phone. You don't need to learn a new program or hire anyone. You just need to know where the button is and what to ask it.
This guide is the short map: what each piece is, how much it costs in Colombian pesos, what task it solves, and what to check before putting it into the operation.
The essentials
- Gemini It's Google's AI brand. It lives in the app, in the search engine, in Workspace, and on Android.
- You can start with zero pesos. Personal plans range from 19,900 to 79,000 pesos per month.
- If you already pay for Google Workspace, AI is included in the plan and is not charged separately.
- Gemini Notebook, formerly known as NotebookLM, only responds to the files you upload. It's the most useful tool for contracts, manuals, and specifications.
- The tool saves you the draft. The decision and revision remain yours.
What is Google's AI and where is it involved?
Gemini is Google's artificial intelligence model and also the name of the app where you talk to it. What sets it apart from other assistants is its integration: it's not a separate website you have to go to; it's integrated into products you already use.
There are five places, and it's worth recognizing them because each one serves a different purpose:
- The search engine. The generated responses that appear above the results and the conversation mode within Google.
- Gmail and Docs. Writing an email, summarizing a thread of twenty messages, or changing the tone of a difficult response.
- The Gemini app. Mobile phone or browser, for quotes, content ideas, tables and images.
- Gemini Notebook. Upload your PDFs and only respond with what those files say.
- Android. The phone's voice assistant, while you're driving or working at the counter.
If you're looking for the complete overview of the topic and not just the Google stack, we cover it in the guide to artificial intelligence for businesses. Here we go straight to Google tools.
How much does Google AI cost in Colombia?
It costs nothing if you stick with the free version, and that's enough for most small business text tasks. The paid plans are divided into two categories that are often confused: personal plans, called Google AI, and business plans, which are part of Workspace and are charged per user.
| Plan | Price per month | What use is it to you in business? |
|---|---|---|
| Gemini (free version) | $0 | Write emails, summarize texts, test without commitment |
| Google AI Plus | $19.900 | Double the daily usage and Gemini within Gmail |
| Google AI Pro | $79.000 | Intensive use, more powerful models and 5 TB of storage |
| Workspace Business Starter | $29.200 per user | Email with your domain and Gemini in Gmail |
| Workspace Business Standard | $58.400 per user | Gemini in Gmail, Docs, Sheets, and Meet |
| Workspace Business Plus | $90.900 per user | The above with more storage and access control |
List prices published by Google on its AI plans page and in the Google Workspace pricing page, consulted in July 2026. These are reference values: they change without notice and do not include taxes.
Two details that save money. First: Workspace charges per person, so five users on Business Standard don't cost 58,400 pesos per month, they cost around 292,000. Second: Google offers a 101TP3 discount for the first twelve months to the first twenty users on Starter and Standard, and this discount is not refunded if you started without requesting it.
Before subscribing to a plan, measure how much you use the free version for a week. Most of the businesses we serve don't reach the free version's text-based usage limits. Those that do know exactly why they're paying.
Six uses of Google AI that benefit an SME
The useful question isn't what a model can do. It's which of your everyday tasks can be shortened. This table cross-references the actual task with the component that solves it.
| Actual business task | Piece of Google's AI | Where does it open? |
|---|---|---|
| Respond to repeated emails | Gemini in Gmail | Help button for writing, within the email |
| Understanding a contract, a document, or a manual | Gemini Notebook | Uploading the PDF to your notebook |
| Prepare a quote or a proposal | Gemini app | Mobile phone or browser |
| Product photos on a clean background | Image editing in Gemini | Gemini app, uploading your photo |
| Research prices and competition | In-depth Research | Gemini app, investigation mode |
| Sort loose data into a table | Gemini in Spreadsheets | Side menu of Sheets |
The Gemini Notebook case deserves a separate paragraph because it's the least known and takes the longest to resolve. You upload the lease agreement, the tender specifications, or the supplier's manual, and ask your question in Spanish. They respond by citing the section of the document where they got the information, so it can be verified. If you also request an audio summary, they convert it into a two-voice conversation for you to listen to in your car.
If you've previously tried the OpenAI assistant, the logic is similar and several cases overlap: we'll break them down into How to use ChatGPT in your business. When the task stops being "write this for me" and becomes "do it by yourself every day," you're already talking about AI agents, which is another level of work.
How to start this week without turning it into a project
Five steps. None of them cost money and all of them fit into a normal work week.
- I chose a single repeated task. Responding to quotes, replying to the same Instagram message, writing descriptions for new products. One.
- Open the Gemini app with your Google account. Without installing anything and without a card.
- Give it real context. Include your price list, the name of your business, who you sell to, and your communication style. The quality of the response is affected by these factors, not by the model's make and model.
- Keep your fixed instructions. In the app they are called Gems: your assistants with the rules already written, so you don't have to repeat the context every time.
- Time it. How long did it take you before and how long does it take now? If it hasn't decreased, change the task, not the tool.
Signs that you're doing well:
- You ask for things with your information inside, not generic questions.
- You check figures, dates, and proper names before sending anything.
- One person from the team was put in charge of the issue, not "everyone".
Your business also appears within Google's AI
There's a second half that almost no one looks at. The same system that helps you produce your product decides what it shows to people searching for what you sell. When someone asks for a hardware store that carries pipes in Medellín, the search engine compiles a result and cites a few pages. Being among those results is free traffic.
What moves the needle there is familiar and boring: content that answers specific questions with verifiable data, a complete business profile, and the same contact information everywhere. It's the same old work, explained in What is SEO?, with the step-by-step procedure in How to rank your website on Google. To get an idea of the market you're talking to, look at the e-commerce data of Colombian SMEs.
What to take care of before putting her in the operation
Two topics, neither of which is technical: your customer data and verification. Regarding the former, Google separates business accounts from personal accounts. In the Workspace terms of service, Clause 12.11 states that it will not use customer data to train or refine the models that underpin its generative AI services unless the customer has given prior consent. The terms are different for the free personal account, so don't paste sensitive third-party information there.
The public sector is also shifting: Colombia approved its National Artificial Intelligence Policy In February 2025, with six pillars including governance, ethics, and risk mitigation. Translated to your operations: keep a record of which draft came out of a machine and who reviewed it before sending it.
Common mistakes when using Google AI
- Send without reading. Prices, deadlines, and proper names are precisely where the model is most likely to go wrong.
- Paste customer data into the personal account. ID cards, addresses, purchase histories. That goes in the business account or it doesn't.
- Pay for a plan on the first day. First, the free slot is filled. Hardly any small business fills it.
Do you want AI to work within your operation and not in a separate tab?
At Digital Trendy 360, we connect the tools with what you already use: email, catalog, social media, and advertising. We tell you what to automate first and what's best left to a person.
Frequently Asked Questions about Google AI
Is Google's AI free?
Yes. The free version of Gemini works with any Google account and is used for writing, summarizing, generating images, and conducting research with daily limits. Personal paid plans cost 19,900 pesos (AI Plus) and 79,000 pesos (AI Pro) per month, and what you're buying there is more usage data and access to the newest features.
Is Gemini the same as ChatGPT?
No, they're from different companies. The advantage of Gemini for a business is that it's already integrated into Gmail, Docs, Sheets, and the search engine, so there's no need to move information around. Many teams end up using both: one for writing and another for email.
What happened to NotebookLM?
Google renamed it Gemini Notebook in July 2026. It's the same tool: you upload your documents and it responds with only that information, citing the source. It remains available for free with a Google account, with limits on the number of notebooks and queries per day.
Does it work well in Colombian Spanish?
Yes, and it improves a lot if you give them examples. Ask them to use "vos" or "tú" depending on how you speak to your clients, attach two of your actual messages as tone samples, and tell them which words not to use. Without that guidance, they write in neutral tones and it sounds like a brochure.
Do I need Google Workspace to use it in my company?
Not for testing purposes. Upgrading to Workspace is recommended when you want email with your own domain, control over who accesses what, and a contractual agreement regarding data handling. The Business Standard plan, which includes Gemini in Gmail, Docs, and Meet, costs 58,400 pesos per user per month.
In summary
Google's AI is Gemini, and it's already integrated into the tools you use every day. Get started for free, choose a recurring task, provide your real-time data, and track your savings before committing to a plan. If your business already runs on Workspace, the feature is already included; all you have to do is turn it on. And while you're using it to boost productivity, remember the other crucial aspect: ensuring search engines find you when someone searches for what you sell.
