Google is shutting down Gemini Gems, its feature for creating custom AI assistants for specific tasks, and replacing them with a new system called skills. Existing Gems will be migrated automatically, allowing users to keep the instructions and setups they previously created.
The company is notifying users inside the Gemini app that Gems will become skills starting November 17, 2026. Google said users will not need to take any action during the migration, and Gems will remain available until the transition date.
Custom Assistants Will Move Into Skills
Google introduced Gems in 2024 as a way for people to create reusable AI assistants without repeatedly entering the same instructions. Premade examples included a learning coach, brainstorming assistant, career guide, coding partner, and editor.
Users could also create custom Gems for tasks such as running guidance, nutrition planning, and trip preparation. Google later added sharing features so people could distribute their custom assistants to others.
Under the new system, those configurations will become skills that can be used across different AI tasks. Google has not said users need to rebuild their existing Gems before the change takes effect.
Skills Will Use a Different Interface
The interaction model will also change. Google says users will enter a forward slash, or “/”, inside a task thread to select the skill they want to use.
That differs from Gems, which had its own branding and dedicated placement within the Gemini interface. The change consolidates custom task instructions into a broader skills system instead of maintaining Gems as a separate feature.
The transition comes as other companies expand more general-purpose AI agents. Meta’s Muse and Instinct, for example, are designed to handle a wider range of tasks through conversational interfaces rather than requiring users to select a specialized assistant first.
The Gems wind-down was first reported by 9to5Google over the weekend. Google’s in-app notice has since confirmed the November 17 migration date.
Featured image credits: Wikimedia Commons
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