AI AND ML

More than half of users now let bots handle email, so service is headed for shutdown

Collaboration platform Notion is shutting down its AI-powered Gmail client, Notion Mail, on September 22 after users increasingly handed control of their inboxes to the company's agents.

"As Notion agents have gotten more capable, we've seen more users hand off email workflows to them," the company wrote on X. "Today, more than half of Notion Mail users manage emails without ever opening their inbox. So, we're going all in on using agents to run your inbox."

Notion Mail, which became widely available in April 2025, used AI to organize users' Gmail accounts. It followed Notion's 2024 acquisition of email and collaboration startup Skiff.

It has been an interesting if short-lived experiment, but a polished inbox is of limited value when more than half of users manage their email without opening it.

The good news for users facing the shutdown is that all the emails in Gmail will remain intact, although drafts and scheduled emails will be deleted if not saved first. The company has published an FAQ for customers wondering what to do next, and warned that custom views and sorting set up in Notion Mail won't transfer, that files attached to snippets would need to be manually downloaded, and that reminders set on emails in Notion Mail wouldn't transfer to Gmail.

Furthermore, while the end will come on September 22 for most users, customers relying on HIPAA coverage must plan to transition off the service by June 30. Yes, that's next week.

Notion, like many tech companies, has made AI agents a central part of its product strategy. The agents can, for example, perform enterprise tasks, such as managing workflows. As such, it isn't surprising that the company has found users aren't going near the inbox and are therefore ditching the Notion Mail concept.

The company concluded: "We're grateful to each and every one of you for building your routine around Notion Mail and trusting us with something that mattered as much as your email," followed by a perky "More to come!"

Notion customers would be forgiven for wondering whether that means more services in the pipeline, or more of the company's products on the chopping block. ®