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ZDNET’s key takeaways
- Gemini can now remember chat context for personalized answers.
- Users can use Temporary Chat for added privacy.
- Google also added new data control settings you’ll want to look at now.
You can now reference your past chats with Google’s Gemini AI chatbot for more personalized responses, the company said Wednesday. Google also added a Temporary Chat feature and new data control settings. Everyone, including free users, can take advantage of the features in the Gemini app.
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While every major AI company is constantly racing to release the latest and greatest AI models, sometimes the most impactful updates are actually the less flashy features that improve the chatbot using experience. These new Gemini features aim to make users’ lives easier in ways ChatGPT already has.
Keep reading below to find out how to access the features (and if you should).
More personalized responses
AI is only as helpful as the information it is given. As a result, prompt engineering — or creating a prompt for a chatbot that has as much specific information as possible to make it produce a higher-quality response — is a huge part of using a chatbot successfully. However, this can often be a time-consuming process, especially if you’re working on something longer-term; re-explaining your context every time can be tedious.
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Now, Gemini can reference your past conversations to learn more about you over time and produce more personalized answers. All this means is that if you shared details about your preferences or your life, Gemini can then reference those details in your future response.
For example, if I disclose I have a 15-pound Yorkie in one conversation, and in another I ask what games I should play with my dog, it will already take into account his breed and weight without me having to repeat myself. It works the same way as ChatGPT’s Memory feature, which rolled out in April. Anthropic’s Claude also got the capability this week.
The feature is being rolled out to users in the coming weeks, beginning today. Google shares that the experience is first limited to the 2.5 Pro model in select countries, and that it will expand the feature to 2.5 Flash in the weeks ahead.
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It is important to note that the feature is on by default, but if you don’t want Gemini to remember or reference your past conversations, you can turn the setting off in your Settings. To do so, in the Gemini app, visit “Settings,” “Personal context,” and “Your past chats with Gemini,” where you can toggle the setting on and off, as seen in the image below.
Specific interactions with the chatbot can also be managed and deleted from your conversations in Gemini Apps Activity. More on that below.
Temporary Chat
Temporary Chat is one of my favorite features in ChatGPT, and now it is finally available in Gemini. The feature is simple: whenever you want to have a conversation with Gemini that you don’t want it to recall at a later date or be saved to your history, all you have to do is click the Temporary Chat icon next to “New chat.”
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It is the same concept behind turning on Incognito mode in Google Chrome or Private Window in Safari.
When Temporary Chat is on, your conversation won’t appear in your recent chats or Gemini Apps Activity, meaning it will not be used to train Google’s AI models. The downside is that it won’t be used to personalize your Gemini experience (the feature listed above), but it does give you peace of mind that your conversation isn’t going to be referenced.
The feature is also rolling out today and will be available all users in the coming weeks.
New data control settings
In the upcoming weeks, Google will rename the “Gemini Apps Activity” to “Keep Activity.” When this setting is toggled on, a sample of your uploads, starting on September 2, will be used to “help improve Google services for everyone.” If you don’t want your data used that way, you can turn off the setting or use the Temporary Chats option. For instructions on how to turn the setting off, you can visit Google’s step-by-step guide.
If you currently have your “Gemini Apps Activity” off, even when the switch to “Keep Activity” happens, it will stay off. As a result, if privacy means a lot to you, I would recommend making the switch now.
