I was thrilled to be invited by Chanel Greco (Google Workspace Developer Advocate) to join Vinay Vyas (Software Engineer, Google) and Steve Bazyl (Developer Program Engineer, Google) for a Developer Spotlight session recorded at Google Cloud Next ‘25.
We explored the exciting evolution of Google Workspace development, focusing on the tools and technologies shaping the future of automation and AI integration.
What We Covered:
- The Rise of Flows for Workspace Automation: We kicked things off discussing the potential of Flows, a powerful new tool Google had just announced which is designed to simplify task automation in Google Workspace. We explored how developers can tap into its potential by building custom actions, including integrating with Vertex AI [01:17].
- Extending Capabilities with Apps Script: Your existing Apps Script skills remain crucial! We discussed how they empower developers to extend Flows capabilities as the product evolves [02:08], offering significant opportunities within this user-centric automation tool [01:52].
- Workspace as an Integrated Platform: Learn about the ongoing efforts to enhance connectivity with third-party services [02:35] and how add-ons (including Chat apps deployed as add-ons [03:32]) are key to keeping users productive within the Workspace context [02:52].
- The Gemini Effect on Development: Hear our experiences with Gemini 2.5 and its significant impact on code development, particularly for Apps Script [05:29]. We discuss its impressive ability to generate substantial, high-quality code for complex tasks [06:35].
- AI Agents & The Future: We explored the concept of AI Agents powered by Gemini within Google Apps Script for automating tasks using natural language and discussed the exciting prospects for deeper Gemini integration directly within Apps Script [14:41]. I checky asked Steve if there was going to be a Gemini Advanced Service for Apps Script (you’ll have to watch the video to find out the answer :).
Why Watch?
If you are interested in understanding the future direction of Google Workspace development, this discussion hopefully provides some practical perspectives and explores exciting possibilities.
Source: Developer Spotlight – Google Cloud Next 2025 Special Edition
Member of Google Developers Experts Program for Google Workspace (Google Apps Script) and interested in supporting Google Workspace Devs.