A method that is implemented on one or more processors, the method comprising: analyzing (502, 504), by one or more automated assistants, one or both of content of a message exchange thread involving multiple human participants and one or more documents associated with the message exchange thread, wherein the one or more automated assistants are not explicitly invoked by any of the participants; identifying, by one or more of the automated assistants, based on individual participant profiles associated with the participants, one or more shared interests of the participants, wherein each participant of the multiple participants is associated with an individual participant profile that includes information related to the participant; selecting, by one or more of the automated assistants, a first new content that is based on the one or more shared interests of the participants; proactively providing, by one or more of the automated assistants, the first new content to one or more of the participants; identifying, by one or more of the automated assistants, based on the analyzing, one or more topics pertinent to the message exchange thread; as the length of the message exchange thread increases, selecting, by one or more of the automated assistants, a second new content that is based both on the one or more pertinent topics and one or more of the shared interests of the participants; wherein an amount of influence the one or more shared interests of the participants has on selecting the second new content, relative to an amount of influence of the one or more topics pertinent to the message exchange thread, decreases with an increasing length of the message exchange thread; and proactively providing, by one or more of the automated assistants, the second new content to one or more of the participants. analyzing (502, 504), by one or more automated assistants, one or both of content of a message exchange thread involving multiple human participants and one or more documents associated with the message exchange thread, wherein the one or more automated assistants are not explicitly invoked by any of the participants; identifying, by one or more of the automated assistants, based on individual participant profiles associated with the participants, one or more shared interests of the participants, wherein each participant of the multiple participants is associated with an individual participant profile that includes information related to the participant; selecting, by one or more of the automated assistants, a first new content that is based on the one or more shared interests of the participants; proactively providing, by one or more of the automated assistants, the first new content to one or more of the participants; identifying, by one or more of the automated assistants, based on the analyzing, one or more topics pertinent to the message exchange thread; as the length of the message exchange thread increases, selecting, by one or more of the automated assistants, a second new content that is based both on the one or more pertinent topics and one or more of the shared interests of the participants; wherein an amount of influence the one or more shared interests of the participants has on selecting the second new content, relative to an amount of influence of the one or more topics pertinent to the message exchange thread, decreases with an increasing length of the message exchange thread; and proactively providing, by one or more of the automated assistants, the second new content to one or more of the participants.