Google has added its customizable AI chatbots called “Gems” right into Docs, Sheets, Gmail, and more. Google is doubling down on artificial ...
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| Google has added its customizable AI chatbots called “Gems” right into Docs, Sheets, Gmail, and more. |
With Gems, you can create custom AI personalities to assist you with specific workflows. Want a creative writer who mimics your tone? A project manager that summarizes your meetings? Or a virtual recruiter that scans resumes? You can set up a Gem for each. These agents understand natural language, retain contextual instructions, and deliver actions without the need to constantly re-explain tasks.
Unlike traditional assistants like Custom GPTs from OpenAI or Meta’s AI characters, Gems are natively built into your productivity stack. That means zero context switching. You can prompt a Gem inside a Google Doc to rewrite paragraphs, summarize notes, or generate reports — all without opening another window.
This tight integration opens new doors for collaboration. Teams can now share Gems that are purpose-built for specific roles: a brand voice coach, a compliance checker, or even a multilingual email assistant. These agents can parse large documents, understand tone, and offer intelligent suggestions that are highly contextual.
In Google’s own Gemini demo at I/O 2024, they showcased a user deploying a Gem to complete an entire product launch workflow: analyzing trends, generating marketing copy, and building a pitch deck, all inside Google Workspace. This kind of embedded AI experience aims to eliminate the drag of manual switching between apps and to-do lists.
The true power of Gems lies in their programmability. You can assign them custom instructions, personas, and even constraints. They support prompt chaining, meaning you can define workflows such as: “First read this proposal, then summarize it, then turn it into a 3-minute presentation script.” Each Gem can evolve over time as you refine its role, feedback loop, and tone.
If you're a developer or advanced user, there’s even more to explore. Google is preparing to open APIs and automation hooks so that Gems can integrate with third-party tools, CRMs, and databases. This could allow businesses to create end-to-end AI-powered workflows inside Workspace, from customer onboarding to internal HR training.
Of course, there are questions around privacy and reliability. Google claims that Gems will respect Workspace data privacy standards, with clear controls for admins and users. Each Gem runs in the context of your Workspace environment, meaning your data isn’t used to train the public Gemini model.
As AI becomes more deeply woven into everyday tools, the shift from “app” to “agent” marks a new chapter. Google’s Gems signal that the future of productivity is not just about faster typing or smarter search — it’s about truly collaborative AI that acts like a teammate. It remembers your goals, understands your tone, and works where you work.
Gems are currently available in Workspace Labs and select Gemini Advanced accounts, with broader rollout expected later in 2025. If you’re curious, just look for the shimmering gem icon next to your Workspace toolbar and start designing your own AI-powered dream team.
Curious how this compares to other AI assistant ecosystems? Check out how OpenAI’s GPTs and Anthropic’s Claude 3 family are building their own customizable agent frameworks.
