Google has added new features to its Workspace productivity apps, including automated document summaries and the ability to embed Google Maps into documents.

The changes build on the "smart canvas" concept the company unveiled last year to modernize its application suite by connecting the various tools in a shared, all-in-one workspace.  Among the initial features announced last year were "smart chips" that let users link information between documents using the "@" symbol, for instance.

One new addition announced Tuesday is a smart chip for Google Maps, which lets Docs users embed a map preview into a document more easily. The smart chip generates a thumbnail that provides a quick view of location information, as well as a link to access Maps in a sidebar. Maps is generally available now.

Another new feature is Google Docs summaries, an automatically generated text overview of the main points within a document. The summary is created for the user by an artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm, though the text can also be manually edited by the user. The new summary feature is available to Workspace users now.

Email draft templates, set for general availability in "the coming weeks," provide a button to export pre-written content into a draft message in Gmail with relevant fields already filled in.

Topic-voting tables allow users to gather team feedback; project-tracker tables can capture milestones and statuses.

Two previously announced features are also now set for general availability. The "pageless format" in Docs, which removes the boundaries of a document page, can be used now, while formula corrections in in Sheets spreadsheets will arrive soon, said Google. 

"The updates to Workspace reflect a much-needed revamp, not just for Google but for the document, which has been in need of a major overhaul for several years," said Ra