Hidden Gem: The simple chatbot feature that levels up your AI game 

A typical AI chatbot is a bit like a digital Swiss Army knife – versatile, yes, but perhaps not the ideal tool for every job. This week, we’re moving beyond the general-purpose chatbot to explore how you can forge your own AI utility belt, equipping yourself with a suite of specialised assistants designed for the specific, recurring tasks that define your daily grind.

I’m talking about custom AI assistants. If you’re still at the ad-hoc prompting stage, this is the next logical step in integrating AI into your workflow. Think of them as a well-stocked utility belt, with each tool honed for a specific purpose. Different platforms have different names – Gemini Gems, Custom GPTs, Claude Projects, and Copilot Studio agents – but they all help you move to a more structured, efficient use of AI models. If you’re performing a task repeatedly, why not have a dedicated tool that already understands the brief, saving you the upfront effort of explanation every single time?

What often surprises me in my training sessions is how many professionals, even those already subscribing to AI platforms, remain unaware of these customisation features. While Custom GPTs have seen a slight uptick in recognition, teaching people how to build these tailored AI assistants is now a core component of my foundational AI curriculum.

For today’s column, I’ve chosen to focus on Google’s Gems, primarily because Gemini is my core platform. However, it’s worth noting that all these custom agent tools offer remarkably similar functionality. My advice? Stick with the platform you’re most comfortable with. One advantage of Google’s platform is that you can create Gems even with a free account, unlike some other platforms that often require a paid subscription. The current drawback with Gems is the difficulty in sharing them easily with others (something other platforms make easy), though this feature is reportedly on the horizon.