Getting a plan to manifest outside of the group chat is one of the hardest things known to mankind (not really). Someone might suggest a weekend trip that five people enthusiastically agree on, and then the group chat spends the next three weeks debating where to go, what to eat, and who’s paying for what.
Google thinks AI could finally put an end to that chaos, and that’s the entire direction behind its latest experiment. Meet Tabletop, a new collaborative AI tool from Google Labs that lets groups build interactive planning tools without writing any code. Announced on November 11, it can turn a collection of ideas, links, and files into everything from vacation itineraries and dinner polls to expense splitters and tournament brackets.
Your group chat just got its own AI app builder
According to Google’s official announcement, Tabletop works by creating a shared space where users can upload relevant information and describe what they want to build. Simply mention @tabletop and explain what you need, or choose from an existing starter template. The AI then generates an interactive tool tailored to your request.
For example, if you’re planning a road trip with friends, Tabletop can help create an interactive map of fun stops. To make things even more interesting, you can have a spinning wheel to decide where everyone eats. Organizing a pickleball tournament? Tabletop can generate live brackets and voting boards for choosing team merchandise.
Google also demonstrated a drag-and-drop seating chart for office parties, which could be handy when you want to avoid spending an entire evening sitting next to your boss. The generated tools aren’t fixed, either. Users can ask Tabletop to modify them, change their rules, or add new functionality as plans evolve.
Google wants everyone involved in the planning
Once someone creates a shared space, they can send an invitation link through their existing group chat. Everyone can then open the space and interact with its tools simultaneously, similar to collaborating on a Google Doc. It’s an evolution of the AI-powered app-building concept Google previously explored with Opal and Disco. Tabletop brings that flexibility to groups, allowing people to build and modify useful little applications around their shared activities.
Tabletop is currently an experimental product available through a waitlist, limited to users aged 18 and older in the United States. Google hasn’t announced wider availability or disclosed whether it will eventually charge for access. The hardest part of organizing something with friends is often getting everyone to agree on a plan. Having an AI tool that turns those endless conversations into something everyone can actually use sounds like a pretty good place to start.