Google to retire Gemini's Gems in favor of skills

Google introduced Gems in 2024 as a way for users to create task-specific AI assistants inside the Gemini app, with pre-made options like a learning coach, a brainstorming assistant, a career guide, a coding partner, and an editor. Users could also build their own, such as a running coach or vacation planner, and share them with others — a feature Google hoped would make the Gemini app more popular.

The shift comes as all-in-one AI agents like Meta's Muse and Instinct gain traction. Rather than preserving Gems as a distinct brand with its own icon and navigation spot, Google is folding them into "skills" that work across different AI tasks. This is consistent with a pattern the article notes: Google has previously given new AI features prominent branding and placement, only to merge or shuffle them later — a habit that predates the AI era.

For Gemini users, the practical result is less about losing functionality than adapting to a new interface. The migration is automatic, so the real test is whether users take to selecting skills with a forward slash command, a method the article describes as more appealing to engineers than to regular consumers. Google's challenge is making that transition feel seamless when the new interaction may not be as intuitive as simply typing in a chatbot.