Google just broke open the next level of everyday productivity: “Gems” are now live inside the side panel of Docs, Sheets, Slides, Drive and Gmail (rolling out to all Workspace domains as of July 2, 2025). Source: Google Workspace Updates Blog. If Gemini felt helpful before, imagine swapping its single-track responses for a toolkit of bespoke AI specialists that sit one click away, right where you’re working. Let’s unpack what this means and, more importantly, how you can start cashing in on the time and energy savings today.

What Exactly Are Gems?

Think of a Gem as a focused, pre-trained version of Gemini. Each Gem is an AI “assistant” that already understands the context of a specific job to be done—drafting sales emails, analyzing budget variances, blocking out a marketing brief, you name it. You can pick from Google’s growing gallery or build your own in under five minutes at gemini.google.com/gems/create. Both custom and premade Gems now surface directly in the right-hand panel of the core Workspace apps, no tab-hopping required. Source: Google Workspace Updates Blog.

Why This Roll-Out Is a Big Deal

• Fewer context switches. With Gems inside the side panel, you stay in flow—no bouncing out to the Gemini app or ChatGPT tab. That alone can claw back 20–30 minutes a day.
• Prompt fatigue, solved. Your Gem remembers brand voice, data sources and formatting prefs, so repetitive prompting evaporates.
• File-aware assistance. Upload reference Docs or Sheets (made possible since late 2024) so your Gem answers with company-approved language and real numbers. Source: Google Workspace Updates Blog.
• Team-wide leverage. Share a Gem with colleagues to lock in best practices—ideal for sales sequences, support macros, or lesson-plan templates.

Quick-Start Tips (Five Minutes or Less)

1. Fire up Gemini. Open any Google Doc and click the sparkling Ask Gemini icon in the top right.
2. Select “Gems.” Browse the gallery or hit Create Gem. Name it something obvious like “30-sec Email Summary.”
3. Add Instructions. Paste a bullet list of how you want outputs—tone, length, must-include sections. The clearer the brief, the sharper the Gem.
4. Attach References. Drop in your style guide, pricing sheet, or SOP PDF so the Gem can quote directly. (Drag-and-drop, done.)
5. Pin to Panel. Once saved, your Gem sits under My Gems. Click it whenever you need that task handled—across Docs, Sheets, Slides and Gmail.

Seven Practical Use Cases You Can Deploy Today

• The One-Click Copywriter. Feed it your target persona and let it crank out blog intros, LinkedIn hooks and meta descriptions that match your voice.
• Sales Call Debrief Gem. Attach your CRM notes and have the Gem draft a personalized follow-up email plus next-step checklist inside Gmail.
• Budget Storyteller. In Sheets, select your raw numbers and prompt the Gem to narrate a two-paragraph executive summary—perfect for board decks.
• Persona Pressure-Tester. Ask the Gem to “be” a skeptical CFO reviewing your slide deck and flag weak spots before the real meeting.
• Stand-Up Meeting Scribe. In Docs, ask the Gem to structure bullet-point updates, action owners and due dates from your messy notes.
• Lesson-Plan Builder. Teachers can drop curriculum standards and get a ready-to-deliver outline, plus differentiated activities.
• Support FAQ Booster. Import last month’s support tickets, then let the Gem propose new FAQ entries ranked by frequency.

Pro Moves to Amplify Results

The Bottom Line

Generative AI got us to “one-click drafting.” Gems get us to repeatable excellence. They transform Gemini from a clever assistant into a stable of on-demand pros who already know your playbook. Whether you’re closing deals, teaching kids or balancing budgets, the fastest path to measurable productivity right now is pinning your first three Gems and building the habit.

See you on the inside panel—your future self (and your calendar) will thank you.

Ethan Rhodes