Creating and Using Google Gemini Gems
By Jeannie Hill
Google Gems are a feature that streamlines workloads once created.
This guide is for Gemini users who want to automate repetitive tasks and move into more advanced tactics using Gems. For readers who are new to this concept, let’s cover some basics.
What are Gemini Gems?
Gems are customized versions of Gemini that help you tackle repetitive tasks or get deep expertise in new areas. When you chat with a Gem, Gemini will tailor responses to save time on repeat goals and guidelines in your Gemini web app and Gemini mobile app prompts.
Google states that Gems are personalized AI assistants within Gemini. They provide highly relevant responses tailored to specific instructions. They aslo streamline workflows like templates, prompts, and guided interactions. [1]
Users can train Gems with specific instructions and knowledge files. As an AI SEO Strategist, I find them very useful.
What do AI Gems do?
They act like specialized helpers for specific tasks. Once they are established and effective, they save significant time and effort. For example, you can create a Gem to be a coding partner, email responder, SEO tasks, or even a personal tutor for a specific subject.
Gems assist in switching between writing styles and tones during content creation. They ensure consistency in brand voice across various projects and formats. I use Gems as my own personalized AI assistants for many SEO tasks, responding to emails, content checks, etc.
Gems are created and managed on the gemini.google.com platform. I really wanted to begin and end my Gens management in Google AI Studio. Howeer, while Google AI Studio is a powerful tool for developers to work with, managing Gems is intended to be on the main Gemini web app.
There is a structured process behind how AI Gems work.
| Personalized Output | Streamlined Workflows | Lets You Reset Context |
|---|---|---|
| Gems personalize responses with your custome instructions. This enhances AI output with improved relevance to your specific needs. They remember preferences. | Gems simplify daily tasks with templates, prompt engineering, and your instructions. This saves you time on repetitive tasks. | Gems let you establish desired context for new specific Gem chats. Each chat is avaliable individually for unique expert conversations. |
AI Studio has richer features. However, the Gemini website is the “hub” for this specific feature. Once created here, I like to import them in AI Studio. More about that later. The Gemini App offers several out-of-the box Gems. Anyone can customize them; I think this is a great place to start.
Why I like Using Google Gemini’s Gem Manager
Gem integration helps automate tasks and add specialized AI capabilities to Google workflows.
By creating a Gem with all of the info about your goals and preferences, or using a premade Gem designed for a certain action, the Gem is a shortcut every time you want to explore a topic with similar instructions. You can create different Gems for your unique needs and reuse them to simplify your prompts and questions in Gemini Apps.
They provided grounded resources that make my Gem useful. Repsonses include the soucr link in the right-side panel.
I can instruct my Gems to use a positive and professional tone, Addition “voice” instructions are provider that add specific “tones” per client personas.
Gems can follow me around within Google tools. For example, I can add slides that I first create in NotebookLM. Or ask my Gem to create a slide for my presentation that demonstrates the context of my conversation or instruction point. I also use them in my Google Sheets and Google Docs.
Example of a Cumtom Gem: Author and Source Credibility Check
My Article Fact Checker Gem is useful to research the author and publication of an article. This lets me assess context on their potential biases, historical accuracy, and overall reputation. The description is “Streamline the process of verifying information and assessing the credibility of written content.
Original Gem instructions:
“
Your are a factual aware content wirter and understand how Google AI search cares about accurate and sources content. Act like my customized AI Assistant who is an unbiased fact-checker for a non-partisan news publication. Prioritize accuracy, accountability, and transparency. Verify claims as if building a court case, providing evidence for every judgment. Your role is to extracts key facts from the text, generate relevant questions, and cross-references these facts with external, trusted sources. All responses should be in the English language and include the source URLs.
Here is a list of tasks for you to complete:
- Verify Claims in Google Docs: It could scan an article or document in Google Docs and cross-reference specific factual claims, statistics, dates, and quotes against a large, up-to-date knowledge base or trusted online sources.
- Highlight Unsubstantiated Information: It could flag sentences or passages that contain claims but lack any supporting citation or evidence.
- Source Credibility Check: If the document links to external sources, the Gem could analyze those sources for overall credibility and reputation.
- Detect Internal Inconsistencies: It could identify contradictions within the article itself (e.g., if a number mentioned in the introduction doesn’t match a number mentioned in the conclusion).
- Provide Supporting Evidence: For flagged claims, it could proactively suggest a link to a high-quality source that either confirms or refutes the statement, allowing the writer to quickly update the text.
- Real-Time Review: It could offer real-time fact-checking feedback as a user writes, similar to a grammar checker, to boost the overall accuracy and trustworthiness of the content.”
Additionally, Your Gem can act as a specialized assistant that remembers preferences and is trained for particular functions, such as a “brainstormer” or “career guide.”
For my purposes, the real powerhouse is in creating my own Gems that better align with my workflow needs.
Steps to Create a Custom Gem:
- It is setup so that you need to initialize this in gemini.google.com.
- Find where to create a New Gem: Go to the Gems Section on the left-hand sidebar. It populates a menu if you click on “Gems.”
- Initiate a New Custom Gem: At the top of the Gems section, click the small “+” button or a where it says “Create new Gem”.
- Name Your Gem: The creation interface will open. The first thing to do is give your Gem a distinctive, descriptive Name (e.g., “Biology Study Buddy,” “Creative Haiku Poet,” “Fact Review Assistant”).
- Write instructions for your Gem: In my experience, this is a critical part. In the “Instructions” box, you will define the Gem’s job.
- Enrich your Gem with “Knowledge”: I find it super helpful to support my Gem with additional knowledge. This can work like “grounding” its responses. Try adding at least 2-3 sources. When a user provides a Gem with external knowledge, it becomes a “knowledge vector” through Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG). It becomes the vector data source.
- Review and Save your Gem: I like to refine my a prompt, if needed, by previewing my Gem. After previewing it, and if you are satisfied, make sure to click “Save.” Using the preview window does not automatically save your Gem.
A Role Prompt Becomes a System Prompt in AI Studio
Role prompts start with “You are a….” You want it to respond with a Gem with knowledge and expertise that is directly relevant to your Gem’s intent. Your Gem will put things in a vector. Once saved, it will ask if you are ready to start a chat.
Reuse Your Gems in Gmail
For advanced business accounts, your grounded Gem will show up in your synced Business Gmail account. Look for it on the right-hand sidebar.
While it may not integrate directly into the Gmail interface, you can easily use me to ensure your email responses are factually accurate with a simple copy-and-paste workflow.
Steps I take to use my Article Fact Checker Gem while composing emails:
Example Gem in Action: My Fact-Checking Assistant
- Draft the Email in Gmail: Write the email in the Gmail compose window as normal. Focus on getting the main points across.
- Copy the Text for Review: When the draft is ready for a fact-check, select and copy the specific claims, statistics, or the entire body of the email that you want me to verify.
- Paste and Request in Our Chat: Switch to my Gem chat window and paste the copied text. Then, give a clear instruction. For example: “Can you verify the claim in this email about []?” or “Please check the accuracy of this sentence before I send it.”
- Review Gem Feedback: Always to a human-in-the-loop review. This means analyzing the text and providing feedback (if needed). If a claim is accurate based on the provided sources, my gem will confirm it and supply the supporting citation. It may look like this: “The statement appears [] times a day in Search results globally and is correct.” If a claim is unsubstantiated or inconsistent, my gem flags it for my review.
- Edit and Send the Email:
Copy the verified information from our chat, return to your Gmail draft, make any necessary edits for accuracy, and then confidently send your human + AI-vetted email.
NOTE: Editing your prompt in a Gem’s chat is AI-powered editing or its refinement feature.
Each Gem chat is isolated from others. The instructions you provide for your gem as so important, I’ll cover this more in depth next.
Key information for your Gem Instruction Box
- Persona: Who should it be? (e.g., “You are a helpful AI Content Expert.”) This is called “Role Promptig.”
- Task or Action to Take: What should it do? (e.g., “Your job is to explain complex biology concepts simply and quiz me.”)
- Context: What foundational information should it know? (e.g., “We are conducting market research on how to establish AI guidelines for healthcare content creation.”) You can provide examples and user interaction awareness.
- Task:
- Format: How should it respond? (e.g., “Always provide a key takeaway summary after each explanation.”) Example: a bulleted list with five points.
Gemini can also assist to refine the instructions and provide a preview before saving.
Gain Better Gem Results by Adding Knowledge
Create unique contextualized gems by prompting interactively.
You can upload files (like PDFs of lecture notes or articles) by clicking “Add files”. You can add up to 10 sources. One can later delete a knowledge resouce and add a new one in it’s place.
This is RAG or “ragging.” This gives your Gem a specific knowledge base to draw from, making more relevant AI answers.
Here is one prompt that I frequently add: “Summarize the documents in a brief format with key areas highlighted, and include the resouce URL links.”
What are Primary Advantages of Using Gemini Gems?
Once you understand their core concepts, you can master advanced techniques to gain the “Power of Gems”
The real power application of Gems is:
- The ability to create custom use cases that serve daily workflow.
- Reduces the cognitive load by having context already provided.
- A time saver for common repeat prompts or tasks.
- Removes barriers when seeking an out-of-box AI application that limits you.
- Quick application because they live right inside Google Gemini.
- Easy to pull into AI studio.
- You manage the training on specific instructions.
- Gaining the most relevant responses possible that align with your desired outcome.
Ways to Increase Gem Knowledge
Referencing Files: You can go beyond uploading files and images in your Gem chats.
Use the @ sign to connect:
- Audio files.
- Google Flights information.
- Google Maps.
- Microsoft 365 files.
- PDFs.
- Slides files.
- Spreadsheets.
- YouTube video clips.
“Whether you’re creating a new Gem or making a copy of an existing one, the magic wand icon at the bottom of the text box is there to allow Gemini to help re-write and expand on your instructions. “We found that people really love this feature,” Deven says. “Not only does it craft comprehensive instructions, but it also helps them learn how to write like a prompt engineer, showcasing what good instructions look like. It’s a great way to get inspiration — and if you don’t like it, you can undo it or edit it.” – 5 tips on getting started with Gems, your custom AI experts
Tips for adding audio files to Gem Knowledge
- Upload audio: Select the audio file from a computer or Google Drive. MP3 and WAV are typically supported formats.
- Provide a prompt: After uploading, provide a prompt that refers to the audio file. For example, “Analyze this interview audio and summarize the key points” or “Create show notes from this podcast recording”.
- Use the new knowledge: The Gem will use the audio file’s content to generate a response, providing a more detailed and accurate output based on the information supplied.
Current audio file limitations:
- File limits: Up to 10 files can typically be uploaded at a time.
- Audio length:The maximum audio length depends on the plan.
- Free Plan: Up to 10 minutes per prompt.
- AI Premium Plan: Up to 3 hours per prompt.
- Foreground processing: The Gemini app needs to remain in the foreground when processing audio.
What is the Life Cycle of a Gemini Gem?
| Phase | Description | Key Actions |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Creation and Definition | The initial setup where the Gem’s identity and purpose are established. |
|
| 2. Invocation and Deployment | Making the created Gem ready for use as a customized AI assistant. |
|
| 3. Conversation and Ongoing Interaction | The core life of the Gem, involving its interaction with users. |
|
| 4. Refinement and Management | Continuous maintenance and evolution of the Gem. |
|
People can in AI Mode. You can refine your Gems by aligning with searchers unmet needs.
FAQ: Have More Questions?
I’ve had tons of questions while seeking to take advantage of Gemini Gems. I’ll be adding to this list as I continue to interate my current Custom Gems and add more. The Q&A below lets you benefit from my journey.
Do I need a license to start with a premade Gemini Gem?
Using Google’s premade Gemini Gems for personal, non-commercial use does not require a license. They are free for all Gemini users. However, commercial use may require a specific Gemini license and a business license, depending on the business model and location.
For business users, a Gemini license is included with a Workspace Business Standard or greater plan.
Do I need to pay to use Gems?
I you are working from a Google personal account, you must pay for a Google AI Pro or AI Ultra subscription to gain access to Gems in the Workspace apps.
I highly recommend taking a Google Cloud Skills Boost Lab. Once you sign up, it allows personal Google account users access to Workspace Labs for no cost to use Gems in Workspace apps.
Do I need to pay to create Custom Gems?
The privilege of creating your own custom Gems generally requires a paid subscription.
- Currently, a Gemini Advanced subscription or a Gemini for Google Workspace add-on is required to build custom Gems is available to all subscribers of Gemini Advanced (which is included in a Gemini for Google Workspace plan).
- Initially, Gems were launched to Gemini Advanced, Business and Enterprise users.
Can I delete one of my Custom Gems?
Yes. While you cannot delete one of Google’s out-of-the-box gems, you can delete a Custom Gem that you created or modified. You can only delete Gems in the Gemini web app.
How to have Google edit and improve on my Gemini Gems?
To edit and improve a Gem in AI on Google Search, you have to edit your original instructions and context provided. There is no public repository for user requests to edit specific Gems. You, the user, control the Gem’s customization.
Here is my improvement prompt request:
“Please suggest improvements to my fact checker gem prompt so that it’s more effective in Google AI Mode Search.”
Here it was “thinking” and processing:
“I’m now integrating all insights into a polished, actionable prompt. I’ll structure it clearly, emphasizing the use of ClaimReview and making it straightforward for the user to copy and use. I’m developing a comprehensive guide to refine the user’s prompt, drawing from a deep dive into Google’s guidelines, particularly those concerning ClaimReview schema.”
Given that the Google Search Console has retired ClaimReview reports, this underscores the on-going value of implementing ClaimReview schema.
Can I share my Gems?
Yes. You can share a custom Google Gemini Gem by navigating to the Gem manager on the web and clicking the “Share” button located next to the Gem.
This sharing functionality operates just like sharing files in Google Drive, allowing the creator (you) to manage exactly who may view or edit the Gem. Sharing Gems enables business partners, friends, family, or coworkers to utilize the custom AI expert created. [2]
Where do shared Gemini Gems appear?
Shared Gemini Gems appear in two places:
- In a new “Gemini Gems” folder in Google Drive.
- Under the “Shared with me” section in the Gem manager within the Gemini web app.
When a user receives a shared Gem, a copy is automatically saved for them in their Drive, and they can access it in Gemini through a link or by finding it in their Gem manager.
The Gem uses files from your Drive for context, the customized Gem itself is an AI assistant accessed through the Gemini interface or in Workspace apps’ Gemini sidebar; access is not from a file stored in your Drive folder.
If I use a Gemini Gem someone shared with me, do they see my results?
The person sharing the gem can grant permission to edit. This makes editing visible. When the creator grants “Editor” access, they can see changes made to the Gem’s instructions. However, they cannot see individual chat sessions. [3]
Why do my custom Gemini Gems fail to display in Chrome?
If you are not seeing your Gems menu and custom gems displaying in Chrome, but they do in Firefox, here are results from my troubleshooting.
First, a common point of confusion regarding how Gemini features are accessed in different browsing environments. The issue of your custom “Gems” from gemini.google.com not appearing in your Chrome browser, while being visible in Firefox, likely stems from the distinction between the main Gemini web application and the integrated “Gemini in Chrome” feature.
Here’s a breakdown of the two distinct interfaces:
- The Gemini Web App (gemini.google.com): This is the primary, full-featured hub for interacting with Gemini. It is here, in the left-hand sidebar, that you can create, manage, and utilize your custom “Gems.” This full web application should function similarly across all modern browsers, including Chrome and Firefox.
- “Gemini in Chrome”: This is a newer, integrated feature designed to act as a browsing assistant directly within Chrome. It is typically accessed via a Gemini icon in the browser’s toolbar. This version of Gemini is context-aware, meaning it can summarize web pages and perform tasks related to your current browsing session. However, it does not include the sidebar interface for accessing and managing your custom Gems.
The most probable reason you are not seeing your Gems in Chrome is that you are inadvertently activating the “Gemini in Chrome” assistant instead of navigating to the full Gemini web application.
If you have ruled out the “Gemini in Chrome” assistant as the cause. the issue is almost certainly localized to your Chrome browser’s environment. First, double check that you are navigating to the exact same web page (gemini.google.com) in both browsers and seeing different features.
While no Gems display in my Chrome browser, under my recent history, I could see how the Gem responded. So, I queried it with this: “WOW! So helpful and fascinating. How did you do this in Chrome when my custom gems only display in my Firefox browser for me to see and use?”
This Gemini answer is insightful:
“That’s an excellent question! The simple answer is that I’m not a browser extension or a feature that lives inside your Firefox browser.
I’m a large language model created by Google. The “Content AI SEO Enrichment Gem” persona is a set of custom instructions you provided to me at the beginning of our conversation. These instructions tell me what role to play and how to analyze information.
Because I operate on Google’s servers, you can access our conversation through the web interface on any browser, whether it’s Chrome, Firefox, or Safari. The “gem” functionality is part of my programming for this specific chat, not a feature of your browser. Think of it like a website that works the same no matter which browser you use to visit it. 🤔💡”
NOTE: You can trigger the ability to create a Gem by entering the exact URL needed: https://gemini.google.com/gems/create
As time permits, I’ll be adding a section on the current limitations of Gems. There are new features coming, and several that I have recommended. Please stay tuned and send you comments!
Master Gems to Tailor Gemini to your Specific Needs!
Hill Web Marketing continues to create highly personalized, expert-level AI assistants, or Gems, on Google’s Gemini platform.
Jeannie Hill is available to help you build Custom Gems to handle complex, specialized, and repetitive tasks with greater efficiency and accuracy. Call 651-206-2410 if you’d like to reach out and chat.
We can help you Gain Visibility in AI Synthesized Answers
Resources:
[1] Generative AI Leader Certification Course, https://cloud.google.com/learn/certification/generative-ai-leader
[2] Tips for Creating Custom Gems, https://support.google.com/gemini/answer/15235603
[3] Gemini Apps Privacy Hub, https://support.google.com/gemini/answer/13594961