Google is making it easier to access its Gems customizable Gemini chatbots by bringing them to the side panel in Google Workspace apps, including Google Docs, Slides, Sheets, Drive, and Gmail. The task-specific Gems AI assistants are meant to help with common tasks and eliminate what Google calls “repetitive prompting.” Now they’ll be usable without even prompting Gemini to open. While Google offers pre-made Gems, they can also be customized or individually created to meet specific needs. Both custom and templated Gems can be installed in side panels, leveraging capabilities like @-mentioning or accessing files and folders.

“Google is giving Workspace users a way to access Gems … without opening the Gemini app,” The Verge reports, suggesting the move can save time by enabling use “without switching between apps.”

Gemini users can apply Gems to “curate versions of the chatbot to be an expert” in frequently executed tasks, “such as brand-tailored copywriting or revising for exams,” The Verge writes by way of example, noting that Google’s premade Gems can do things including edit text, write code, come up with sales pitches and more.

“Users can also upload their own files into Gems to provide them with task-specific context and resources,” The Verge adds.

“For example, if you need to create a writing editor, you can add notes for the tone, language expertise, and purpose in the instructions,” explains PCMag. The “default Gems” also include Career Guide and Learning Coach.

“When Google introduced ‘Gems’ for its Gemini app, it marked a significant step forward in personalizing AI,” according to Chrome Unboxed.

Gems capability is now accessible without a Gemini subscription, however, marking a change from when Google debuted Gems in August 2024 as a perk for Gemini Advanced, Enterprise and Business subscribers. While Gems are not full-blown agents, they do have some agentic qualities in executing chores.

A Google Workspace post explores specific use cases, while a separate post instructs on how to customize and create Gems. Google also provides a Gems overview, and directs users to the Help Center to learn more about working with Gems.

New Gems can be created “from scratch by clicking the ‘Create a new Gem’ button located at the top of the side panel in the Gems menu,” Gadgets 360 explains.