TechCrunch reporter Sarah Perez writes that Google is shutting down the Gemini feature called Gems. People used it to build custom assistants for specific tasks. Gems already made will not be deleted. They will be migrated automatically into skills that can be used across different AI tasks.

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Chine-collé: five colored circles sit in one paper pocket, and one ochre circle stays outside.
Colored scraps are gathered into one pocket, with one left outside. That is Gems moving into skills while the old ones still work until the date. An illustration, not an app screenshot., AI-generated illustration, not a news photograph

A message in the Gemini app says Gems become skills starting November 17, 2026. Google said it will do the migration, so users do not have to. Until that date, the Gems remain usable. Gems launched in 2024 so people could teach an assistant a task without repeating the instructions. Google’s premade examples included a learning coach, a brainstorming assistant, a career guide, a coding partner, and an editor. People could also make their own, such as a running coach, a nutritionist, or a vacation planner, and share them.

9to5Google reported the shutdown first, over the weekend. This piece did not open that report, and it did not view the in-app message.

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Once they are skills, the way to use them is not simply typing to a chatbot. Google says you enter a forward slash in a task thread to select the skill. TechCrunch describes that interface as one engineers tend to prefer more than other people, and contrasts it with typing straight into something like Meta’s Muse. The contrast is the reporter’s judgment, not a usability test.

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要点

  • Gems become skills on November 17, 2026, and Google migrates existing ones automatically.
  • Until that date, the current Gems remain usable. Users do not migrate them by hand.
  • After the change, a slash in the task thread selects the skill.
  • The feature launched in 2024. This piece did not open the 9to5Google report or the in-app notice.