Google announced that it will phase out Gem on November 17, 2026 and replace it with "Skills"
Quick Look
- Google officially announced that it will begin to phase out the Gem function in Gemini on November 17, 2026, and will replace it with "skills" in the future.
- Gem allows users to customize AI assistants, while "skills" emphasize saving frequently used commands for reuse.
- Currently, Gem is open to all users, but the "skills" are limited to Gemini Spark and require a subscription to the Google AI Pro or AI Ultra plan.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
Google will launch the Gem function in 2024, allowing users to create personalized Gemini AI assistants through customized commands and data.
Google officially announced that it will phase out Gem starting from November 17, 2026. (Picture/Photo taken from the Internet)
Google has another service ready to go into history. In the past, many Gemini users would use Gem to create their own exclusive AI assistant. However, Google has officially announced that it will phase out "Gem" starting from November 17, 2026, and will completely replace it with "skills" in the future.
There is currently an announcement on Gemini's Gem function page. Starting from November 17, the system will automatically convert Gem to "skills". Users can continue to use Gem until the conversion is completed.
Please read on...
What is a gem? What are skills?
Google will launch Gem in 2024, allowing users to set exclusive commands and data according to their needs to create a personalized Gemini AI assistant. As for "skills", the concept is similar to Gem, but it puts more emphasis on saving commonly used commands and working methods, so that they can be directly applied when encountering specific tasks. For example, if you often use Gemini to organize meeting content, you can first create a "meeting summary" skill and set instructions such as organizing priorities and to-do items. When you encounter similar tasks later, you can directly apply this skill without having to re-enter the same commands every time.
However, Gem is preparing to withdraw, and there are still some details that require further explanation from Google. At this stage, Gem is open to all Gemini users, including free users; however, "skills" can only be used in Gemini Spark and require a subscription to the Google AI Pro or AI Ultra plan. Therefore, after the conversion, it is still unclear whether free users can continue to use it. In addition, Gemini Spark is not yet available in some countries.
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Open Questions
- Will free users still be able to use the "Skills" feature after the Gem is phased out?
- In which countries is Gemini Spark already online?
