In Gemini’s settings, you’ll discover an possibility referred to as “Saved Information.” Google describes this as a spot the place you’ll be able to retailer info “about your life and preferences” to get higher outcomes from its chatbot. I’m right here to inform you that is perhaps the least helpful manner to make use of this characteristic. It’s rather more highly effective as a strategy to construct your individual shortcuts proper into Gemini.
Yow will discover this characteristic by deciding on Settings in your Gemini app or on the internet. Click on “Saved information” and you will find an empty web page and an Add button. Click on this and you will be given an empty field, the place you’ll be able to write a type of pre-prompt instruction. Every block appears to have a restrict of round 1,500 characters, although there does not appear to be a restrict on what number of of those blocks you’ll be able to retailer.
Google exhibits examples that embody easy directions, like “I favor quick, concise responses” or solely recommending vegetarian recipes. However this house is much more highly effective than that.
How Gemini makes use of the “Saved Information” prompts
I first observed this after I was attempting out Gemini’s Canvas for drafting paperwork. Typing (or saying) “Convert all of the subheadings on this doc to H2s” is commonly extra cumbersome than simply doing it myself. However with Saved Information, I can write a variation of that instruction that tells Gemini to hold out that motion if I merely kind “H2s”.
This works as a result of each chat you begin with Gemini will reference something saved right here as a set of common context blocks. Earlier than processing no matter immediate you give, Gemini will learn your Saved Information first and deal with it as directions that come earlier than something within the dialog itself.
Utilizing “Saved Information” to tweak doc templates
This trick additionally works for extra complicated directions. For instance, lets say you should write plenty of cowl letters and need to tailor them to every job you are making use of to. You could possibly add this block to Saved Information:
“If a immediate begins with ‘cowl letter’, create a draft of a canopy letter within the Canvas. A canopy letter ought to be not more than 3 paragraphs. If the immediate consists of an individual’s identify, deal with the letter to that individual. If the immediate consists of ‘expertise:’ then incorporate the abilities talked about after that into the context of the letter. Signal all cowl letters as [YOUR NAME].”
With these directions, you could possibly invoke Gemini to create a draft of a canopy letter for you with just some phrases. You could possibly even develop this additional by offering a complete cowl letter template (so long as it is beneath the character restrict) and instruct Gemini to solely make easy adjustments primarily based on the standards you present.
One of many greatest issues with utilizing generative AI to put in writing for you is that it may be a bit dicey for something apart from first drafts. And if it’s a must to babysit it each step of the way in which, you would possibly as effectively write the entire thing your self. This strategy, nevertheless, provides you extra leeway to put in writing for your self, whereas nonetheless automating the extra tedious features of tweaking a doc for each individual you are sending it to.
Customise your good house directions
One other helpful instance, when you’ve got good house devices related by means of Google House, is you can flip easy instructions into extra complicated ones. For instance, after I sit down to look at a film, I often need to flip off the overhead lights, however activate the LED backlight strip behind my TV. It is not a enormous ache to say “Flip off overhead front room lights and activate TV backlight” however it’s kind of of a mouthful.
Since Gemini is the default good assistant on my cellphone, although, I can add the next immediate to “Saved Information”:
What do you suppose to date?
If a immediate consists solely of ‘film time,’ then flip off overhead lights in the lounge, and activate TV backlight.
Now, I pull up Gemini on my cellphone, say “film time” and it interprets the directions and passes it to Google House. Be aware: This requires enabling and connecting the Google House Gemini app (which is, confusingly, not the Google House cell app, however an extension inside Gemini itself).
Automate instructions in plain English, no code required
We’re fairly massive followers of automating duties, particularly with providers like IFTTT, however the draw back is that typically they’ll get a bit tech-y or sophisticated. What’s so interesting about this specific trick with Gemini is you can write directions in plain, human-readable language.
One of the fascinating use circumstances I attempted was the next immediate:
If a immediate consists of ‘grammar test,’ then learn the doc on the included hyperlink. Verify it for grammatical errors. Then, within the Gemini Canvas, create a draft of an e mail with a short abstract of any points discovered. Preserve the abstract temporary.
Whereas this does not work 100% of the time on all hyperlinks (primarily resulting from how Gemini filters exterior textual content for safety issues), I did not must do any extra coding or messing with settings to make this command work. I wrote two phrases, “grammar test,” and pasted a hyperlink to considered one of my latest articles. The outcome was a report that stated there have been no grammatical points. (Thanks, Lifehacker editors.)
Watch out with how a lot you permit in Gemini’s arms
It ought to go with out saying, however I will say it anyway: Gemini efficiently parsing directions is not the identical as efficiently finishing up directions. Within the grammar test instance above, I used to be impressed that Gemini understood the best way to reference longer directions from shorthand, however that does not essentially imply it could efficiently catch each grammatical problem.
The Saved Information trick is extremely helpful for automating repetitive prompts, but when there is a activity you would not belief Gemini with earlier than, this would possibly not make it extra reliable now. Possibly you do not belief Gemini to catch grammatical errors to your requirements, however suppose it is nice for summarizing the contents of a hyperlink. With a pair easy tweaks, you’ll be able to modify the above command to that activity, no coding required.
