You're Not Late (Yet): Learn 98% of Gemini in Under 26 Minutes

Learn 98% of Gemini in Under 26 Minutes

This video presents 10 practical tips for getting more out of Gemini, organized across beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels. The focus is on personalization, model selection, reusable workflows, Google integrations, automation, and research.

Beginner Tips

1. Set Up Personal Intelligence

Personal Intelligence brings together memory, connected apps, and instructions. Users can connect services such as their calendar, email, Google Workspace, and YouTube, while instructions can tell Gemini how to communicate and work.

The creator recommends configuring Gemini to provide concise answers and challenge weak ideas instead of simply agreeing with the user.

Import Your Memory and Chat History

Gemini provides an option to import memory from another AI tool. The workflow described in the video involves asking the previous AI to summarize what it knows about the user and then transferring that summary to Gemini.

Users can also export their previous chat history and upload those files to Gemini. Memory provides a summary of preferences and important facts, while chat history preserves individual conversations.

2. Understand Gemini's Models

The video explains three model levels and recommends matching model capability to task complexity.

1. Flashlight: Intended for simple tasks such as quick conversations, meeting summaries, list organization, and text refinement.
2. Flash: Positioned as the everyday option for work that requires some reasoning without consuming as much usage.
3. Pro: Intended for complex, multi-step, and important tasks that require deeper reasoning.

3. Use Gems and Skills

Gems

A Gem is described as a customized Gemini experience with its own instructions and knowledge base. Users can create different Gems for specific tasks and upload relevant files so Gemini already has the required context.

For example, a user could create a Gem that knows their preferred email-writing style or understands the documentation for a recurring business process.

Skills

Skills are described as repeatable processes that Gemini can call when it needs to perform a particular type of task. Existing skill files from other AI systems can also be uploaded and reused.

4. Use Gemini With YouTube

Because Gemini is connected to Google's ecosystem, the video demonstrates using Gemini with YouTube. Users can ask questions about a video, request summaries, or locate useful information without watching the entire video.

The creator notes that Gemini can make mistakes or hallucinate, so its answers should still be checked when accuracy matters.

5. Use Gemini Live

Gemini Live allows users to interact with Gemini through voice rather than typing. The video also demonstrates using the camera so Gemini can see what the user is looking at.

One example describes using the camera to show a garage-door motor and receive step-by-step guidance for configuring it.

Intermediate Tips

6. Use Canvas

Canvas places the conversation alongside the content being created or edited. Instead of repeatedly copying and pasting generated content, users can ask Gemini to update the work directly.

The video demonstrates Canvas for studying, coding, and writing. A book chapter can be turned into an interactive quiz, while simple applications can be built and refined directly within the Canvas environment.

7. Use Gemini Inside Chrome

Gemini can be accessed within Chrome so users can ask questions about the webpage they are currently viewing. The video also demonstrates comparing information across multiple browser tabs.

For example, when researching hotels for a holiday, Gemini can compare several open tabs based on factors such as price, reviews, and location.

8. Use Google Workspace Integration

Gemini can work directly within Google's productivity applications.

1. Gmail: Draft emails and summarize long email threads.
2. Google Docs: Draft, summarize, and ask questions about documents.
3. Google Sheets: Generate formulas and work with spreadsheet data.
4. Google Drive: Combine information from files with other sources such as email conversations.

The creator notes that these integrations are particularly useful for people who already use Google Workspace as part of their daily workflow.

Advanced Tips

9. Use Spark

Spark is presented as an autonomous assistant that can perform tasks without requiring the user to supervise every individual action.

The video demonstrates several potential workflows, including summarizing an inbox overnight, prioritizing tasks and placing them on a calendar, cleaning up emails, and organizing files on a computer.

The creator strongly recommends keeping sensitive information such as banking records and medical documents away from automated file-management workflows.

10. Use Deep Research With NotebookLM

Deep Research can be used to produce a research report. The creator recommends first asking Gemini to help construct a detailed research prompt and clarify requirements before starting the research.

Once the report is complete, it can be imported into NotebookLM. The video highlights features such as audio overviews, flashcards, mind maps, quizzes, and written reports.

Turn Research Into an Audio Overview

NotebookLM can transform research material into an audio discussion. Users can choose formats such as deep dive, brief, critique, or debate, select the desired length, and choose the source material.

The resulting audio can be listened to while exercising, travelling, or performing other activities, providing another way to consume research.

Gemini's Strengths and Limitations

The video argues that Gemini's major advantage is its integration throughout Google's ecosystem, including Gmail, Docs, Sheets, Search, Chrome, YouTube, and other Google services.

At the same time, the creator believes that Gemini's broad range of capabilities can mean it is not always the strongest tool for a highly specialized task. The video recommends using specialized AI tools when a specific area requires deeper performance.

10 Gemini Tips at a Glance

1. Set up Personal Intelligence.
2. Understand the different Gemini models.
3. Create Gems and Skills.
4. Use Gemini with YouTube.
5. Try Gemini Live and camera interaction.
6. Use Canvas for writing, studying, and coding.
7. Use Gemini inside Chrome.
8. Take advantage of Google Workspace integration.
9. Use Spark for autonomous tasks.
10. Combine Deep Research with NotebookLM.

Key Takeaways

1. Context and personalization can make AI assistants more useful.
2. Choose models according to task complexity and usage requirements.
3. Gems and Skills reduce repetitive prompting.
4. Google's ecosystem is one of Gemini's major advantages.
5. Canvas can reduce copy-and-paste workflows.
6. Gemini Live enables voice and camera-based interaction.
7. Workspace integration can improve everyday productivity.
8. Autonomous AI workflows should be used carefully, especially around sensitive files.
9. Deep Research works well as a starting point for structured research.
10. NotebookLM can make research easier to consume through audio and other formats.