Google Might Soon Remind You to Take Breaks While Talking to Gemini: Report

Google is reportedly working on a new wellness feature for Gemini. As per the report, the Mountain View-based tech giant is testing short break reminders that will be shown to users when they have been chatting with the artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot for a while. The mindfulness alert was reportedly spotted in the latest beta version of the Google app, and the message states that users should not think Gemini is human. It is unclear if and when this alert might be released to users widely.

Google Reportedly Testing Short Break Reminders in Gemini

According to an Android Authority report, Google is testing reminders on Gemini to alert users that they have been using the app for a long time. The feature was uncovered during an Android application package (APK) teardown of the Google app beta version 17.3.59, where the publication was able to turn on the flag to make the alert appear.

Short break reminder in Gemini
Photo Credit: Android Authority

As per the screenshot shared by the publication, the alert appears as a pop-up box titled “Try a short break.” The box also contains the message, “You've been chatting with Gemini for a while. It can be helpful to take breaks when you're talking to an AI assistant that isn't human.” Notably, since it is in the testing phase, the message content may differ by the time it is rolled out to users globally. The duration at which the alert appears is also not clear.

The alert highlights that Google is looking into the risks of users talking to an AI chatbot for a prolonged period of time. OpenAI is currently facing multiple lawsuits alleging that ChatGPT was responsible for users committing suicide and killing others. In each of these cases, the users were found use the AI service very frequently and for long durations.

Another interesting part of the feature is the mention that AI is not a human. This likely also relates to a similar problem where users, especially teenagers, begin treating the chatbot as a friend and seek emotional support. Several academic reports have also flagged that talking to a chatbot for extensive periods or for emotional needs can result in mental health deterioration.