Google has announced the discontinuation of the custom AI assistant feature known as “Gems” within its Gemini platform. The decision comes as the tech giant integrates these personalized tools into a new, broader system called “skills,” designed to function across various AI tasks rather than remaining isolated entities.
A notification within the Gemini app informs users that this migration will occur on November 17, 2026. To ensure continuity, Google stated that existing Gems will be automatically converted into the new skills format without requiring any additional action from users. Until the transition date, the current Gems remain fully operational.
Introduced in 2024, Gems were developed to allow users to train the AI for specific recurring tasks, eliminating the need to repeatedly input the same instructions. Standard pre-configured options included roles such as learning coaches, brainstorming partners, and coding assistants, while users also had the option to create custom assistants for niches like running coaching or travel planning. A key feature of the Gems ecosystem was the ability to share these customized assistants with other users, a strategy intended to drive broader adoption of the Gemini app.
The shift to a slash-command interface for accessing skills has drawn commentary regarding user accessibility. Critics note that this input method is typically preferred by technical users rather than the general public. The move is viewed as part of a broader pattern of feature consolidation, as competitors like Meta launch comprehensive agents such as Muse and Instinct. The impending change was initially reported by 9to5Google earlier this week.
Consolidation makes sense technically, but I miss how easy Gems were to share with friends before this change.
Slash commands feel very developer-centric. Google really is ignoring casual users again, aren’t they?
Will my travel planning Gem survive the switch? Hope the migration doesn’t break my carefully crafted prompts.