Google has introduced a new ‘Priority’ page in Google Drive which makes use of the company’s AI and machine learning algos to better sort and organise files, as well as make them easier to find. Priority in Drive uses AI to see what users are working on and suggest actions accordingly. It also automatically assembles users’ working sets of files into flexible workspaces, provides enhanced search based on users’ history and preferences, and makes it easy for users to find files associated with their latest collaborators.
“The goal of Priority is to put your most important files in one place. Using machine learning, we identify the files that are high-priority for you to work on. When you open the page, you’ll see those files, along with comments and suggested actions,” Google wrote in a blogpost. “You’ll be able to reply to some comments directly through the Drive interface and open full documents with one click. This will help you spend less time searching for content and more time doing work that matters,” the company added.
Adding files to workspaces within Priority will not change their storage location or permission settings, but just make them available in one place so they are easier to find and access. “Our studies show most users only work with around 10–20 files at any given time. Workspaces help make sure you can get to those files more efficiently. To build your workspace, you can use Drive's intelligent file suggestions or add files manually,” Google explained.
The Priority page can be accessed from Google Drive’s left-hand navigation panel and is currently available in beta to G Suite users. Google will reportedly be rolling out the AI driven features more widely to all users at a later date.