Gemini Agent for Work (Oct 2026): What Workspace Customers Get

What Google announced at Gemini at Work 2026

In the keynote post by Google Cloud CEO Thomas Kurian, Google describes the Gemini agent as "a single, universal agent for work". You give it an objective rather than step-by-step instructions, and it plans the work, uses tools and returns a finished result in the document, inbox or chat where you work.

• One agent for everything: questions, knowledge work, images and media, and code, from one prompt box.
• Runs in the cloud: long tasks keep running after you close your laptop, with one memory across devices.
• Chooses the model: it routes each job across Gemini models and, according to Google, Anthropic's Claude models.
• Connects to other systems: Workspace, Microsoft 365, Slack, Salesforce, Jira, databases and MCP servers.
• Cost controls: real-time spend caps per Google Cloud project that pause the agent when reached.

What the Gemini agent does inside Gmail, Drive and Docs

Google lists three ways the agent works inside Workspace:

Google says a coworker agent acts under its own identity, sees only what you share with it, and appears under its own name in version history. That is a useful design: you can see what the agent changed, and you can remove its access like any other account.

Which licence the Gemini agent needs

This is the part most likely to confuse. Google Workspace Business and Enterprise plans already include Gemini features in Gmail, Docs and the Gemini app, after Google folded the old add-ons into the plans in 2025 (Google's admin help). The Gemini agent is announced as part of Gemini Enterprise, which is a separate product.

Google's page on turning Gemini Enterprise on or off is explicit: "Gemini Enterprise isn't included with your Google Workspace subscription." The Business edition can be bought through Google sales, a Google Cloud partner or a direct signup page. Google has not said which Workspace or Gemini Enterprise editions will get the Gemini agent when it is widely released, so check the edition list on the release notes before you buy anything.

Admin controls to switch agents on or off

If your company already has Gemini Enterprise, or plans to, these are the controls that exist today, according to Google's admin help pages (last updated 13 October 2026):

1. 1

   Turn the Gemini Enterprise service on or off

   Admin console, Generative AI, Gemini Enterprise, Service status. Set it for everyone, an organisational unit or a group. Changes can take up to 24 hours.

2. 2

   Set default access for Gemini Enterprise agents

   Admin console, Agents, Settings. Choose Allow agent access or Don't allow agent access. This applies to the Standard, Plus and Frontline editions, not the Business edition.

3. 3

   Add specific agents to the management list

   Admin console, Agents, Agent access management. Mark an agent Trusted or Blocked. Supported on Business Starter, Standard and Plus and on Enterprise Standard and Plus.

4. 4

   Control access to Workspace data

   In the Gemini Enterprise settings, choose whether Gemini Enterprise can access your Workspace data at all. With data access off, agents run but cannot read mail or Drive.

5. 5

   Limit chat sharing

   For the Business edition, under Sharing options, restrict chat sharing to your own domains or an allowlist.

The relevant pages are control access to Gemini Enterprise agents and manage Gemini Enterprise agents for Workspace users.

Data-access risks before an agent touches mailboxes and Drive

An agent that reads email and files is only as safe as your sharing settings. If a folder of payroll files is shared with "anyone in the company", an agent working for any staff member may be able to read it. Google says agents follow the sharing and membership your team already uses, which is exactly why messy sharing becomes a bigger problem.

Google also says it is resistant to indirect prompt injection (hidden instructions in emails or web pages), but no model is immune. For how Gemini already handles mail data, see our guide to Gemini in Gmail and Workspace privacy. For a cost view of agents generally, see AI agents for small business: cost.

Gemini agent vs Microsoft Copilot: what to compare

If you are choosing between Google and Microsoft for AI at work, the useful comparison is the suite you already use, not the agent demo. Both now offer agents that act across email, files and chat, both bill some agent work by usage, and both put admin switches in their consoles. Our guide to Copilot vs Gemini for small business compares the included features and prices on each plan.

Do it yourself or get help?

Waiting is a reasonable choice for most small offices: the agent is not broadly available, and the Gemini features already in your Workspace plan cover everyday drafting and summaries. Use the time to tidy sharing and access, which you need anyway.

If you want that tidy-up done properly, our Microsoft 365 / Google Security Lockdown (S$590, paid upfront) reviews sharing, admin roles and 2-Step Verification across your Workspace. Once agents arrive, Workflow Automation (S$390) can connect them to your forms, sheets and approvals. IT Sorted is a Singapore-based team of developers with over 10 years of experience.