Google has announced that it will be discontinuing the Gemini feature called "Gems," which let users create personalized AI assistants for specific purposes. This decision comes as all-in-one AI agents such as Meta's Muse and Instinct gain popularity. Importantly, the effort users put into building their Gems will not be lost. All Gems will be automatically transitioned into "skills" that can be applied across various AI tasks.

Information about this update is being communicated within the Gemini app. A notice there informs users that Gems will be converted into skills beginning November 17, 2026. According to the company, the migration will happen automatically, so users won't need to take any action. Until that date, Gems will continue to function as usual.

Introduced in 2024, Gems were designed to let users train their AI to handle specific jobs without having to repeat instructions each time. For example, Google offered pre-built Gems such as a learning coach, a brainstorming assistant, a career guide, a coding partner, and an editor. Users could also create their own Gems for personal needs, like a running coach, a nutritionist, or a vacation planner. These custom assistants could be shared with others as well, which Google hoped would boost the popularity of its Gemini AI app.

The shutdown of Gems serves as another illustration of why Google should be more cautious about giving every new AI feature its own distinct brand name, icon, and prominent spot in the app's navigation—particularly when it might reorganize things later by merging one feature into another. To be fair, this has been a weak point in Google's approach well before the AI age. For example, at one time the company ran several different messaging and communication apps simultaneously.

Even in their new form as skills, the former Gems are still less user-friendly than simply typing text into a chatbot like Meta's Muse. Google explains that you'll need to type a forward slash "/" in a task thread to pick the skill you want to use—an interface that tends to appeal more to engineers than to everyday users. The news of Gems being phased out was initially reported over the weekend by 9to5Google.