Google Edges Closer to Spam-Free Gmail Experience

How Google's machine learning helps combat spam.

— -- Google is edging even closer to a spam-free Gmail experience with the addition of new tools to help the existing spam filters weed out unwanted emails.

Google has nearly eradicated the problem already with less than 0.1 percent of email in the average Gmail inbox being spam, according to a blog post from Sri Harsha Somanchi, a Google product manager.

The addition of artificial neural network technology, which can be found in Google's Now and Search apps, will hopefully ring the death knell for those annoying emails.

While Gmail's filters can already learn when a user chooses the "Report spam" and "Not spam" buttons, it will be enhanced with artificial neural network technology, which can use machine learning to detect even the sneakiest of spam messages to make sure it doesn't land in someone's inbox.

The improvements make Gmail's filter even better at finding phishing emails that may appear to come from a trusted contact but aren't actually legitimate, according to the blog post.

Google is also introducing a set of postmaster tools designed for people who send a lot of emails that could potentially be marked as spam when they aren't.

"The Gmail Postmaster Tools help qualified high-volume senders analyze their email, including data on delivery errors, spam reports, and reputation. This way they can diagnose any hiccups, study best practices, and help Gmail route their messages to the right place," Somanchi wrote.

In other words: No more digging through your spam folder to find your favorite newsletter or an emailed receipt.