Google is enlisting machines to help tailor email response messages for those using the latest version of Gmail - a feature that is offering relief to some and discomfort for others.

The new feature, called Smart Reply, uses Google’s artificial intelligence (AI) systems to construct short email responses that can be quickly sent to a recipient. The responses, which include “It was great seeing you too," or "I'll look into it," are customized to messages according to context and can be edited as needed.

Google’s suggested responses are tailored based on a scan of the email content, including the actual text and subject line and past conversations. For instance if “Thanks!” is used more often than “Thanks” (minus the exclamation point), the recommended response might reflect that.

The feature is already drawing both praise and criticism with one user saying: "It can help with quick replies that don't need too much elaboration, so you can have peace of mind quickly and sort out more specific information in a full reply later."

Conversely, another user expressed their discomfort with the feature as showing a lack of thought.

Either way, the feature can be disabled, at least on a mobile device, under the settings menu.