Google Is Bringing Gems to the Gemini Side Panel in Gmail, Docs, and Other Workspace Apps

Google Workspace users are finally getting access to Gems within the apps, the company announced on Wednesday. Gems are custom artificial intelligence (AI) experts that can be programmed to perform specific tasks. They have been available within the Gemini app and website since August 2024, but now the Mountain View-based tech giant is finally expanding them to Workspace apps, including Docs, Slides, Sheets, Drive, and Gmail. Gems will be available via the Gemini side panel on these platforms.

Gemini Gems Are Coming to Google Workspace Apps

In a blog post, the tech giant announced the addition of Gems within Google Workspace apps. Notably, the feature is only available to the paid individual and enterprise Workspace account holders, who already have access to the Gemini side panel.

Gems can be understood as a miniature version of the Gemini chatbot, where users can add instructions once to make it perform specific tasks. Users do not need to add the same instructions again and again, saving them time. Additionally, Gems can also be fed data by adding text, files, and images to tailor their responses and improve accuracy.

Gems in Google Workspace apps
Photo Credit: Google

With the new side panel offering, users will get a few pre-made Gems that they can put to task directly. Some of these include the Writing editor, which provides constructive feedback on written text; Brainstormer, which provides inspiration and ideas for specific projects; Sales pitch ideator, which can create engaging pitches for clients, and more.

Apart from the pre-made Gems, users can also create Gems from scratch by clicking the “Create a new Gem” button located at the top of the side panel in the Gems menu. Google says users can enter the creation menu and specify the role and instructions to create a new Gem. These can be programmed to write and analyse code, create posts, provide relevant summaries, and more.

Since the feature is integrated with the Workspace apps, users can also take the output and directly feed it to whichever app they're working on. Once a Gem has been created, it will appear on all of the Workspace apps.