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First NotebookLM, now Gems — Google's AI tool name changes are getting ridiculous

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First NotebookLM, now Gems — Google's AI tool name changes are getting ridiculous

I still calle Gemini Notebooks "NotebookLM" and now, it looks like I'll still be calling Gemini Skills "Gems." To be fair, I still call X, "Twitter" on occassion. Some habits are hard to break.

Google is replacing Gemini Gems with Skills, giving users a way to access custom AI instructions directly within a conversation using slash commands. Users can also combine multiple Skills without switching between chats.

The transition begins November 17, 2026, when personal accounts will automatically migrate from Gems to Skills. Google Workspace users will have a little more time, with Gems remaining available until early 2027.

I've spent years covering Google's AI developments, from the days when its chatbot was called Bard to its current Gemini lineup. I've watched products get renamed, subscriptions get rebranded and features move from one app to another. Sometimes those changes bring genuinely useful improvements. Other times, I'm left wondering why Google couldn't just leave a perfectly good name alone.

The latest round is particularly confusing because Google isn't just changing the label of the tool, it's actually changing how some of these tools work, where you find them and, in certain cases, which features you'll still be able to use.

Here's what's changing and what you need to know before your favorite Google AI tool seemingly disappears.

Let's start with one of Google's most popular AI tools. NotebookLM launched in 2023 as a research assistant that could work with your documents, PDFs and other sources. It became particularly popular thanks to its Audio Overviews feature, which could turn research materials into surprisingly convincing podcast-style conversations.


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