The technology is part of an update to Google's Inbox app for managing and organising email. The feature announced today is the latest example of Google's effort to teach machines how to take over some of the tasks typically handled by humans.
The most conspicuous example so far has been Google's 6-year-old project developing cars that can drive without a human steering the wheel. Google also has been using an artificial intelligence program called "RankBrain" to help determine the pecking order in its influential Internet search results.
Google expects its new "smart reply" option to be particularly popular when people are checking emails on smartphones equipped with smaller, touch-screen keyboards.
The new feature is available to all consumers who use the free version of Inbox, as well as the more than 2 million businesses who pay for Google's suite of applications designed for work.
Gmail has more than 400 million worldwide users, according to the research firm comScore. Google is part of a recently formed parent company, Alphabet Inc.