Google is making it way easier for loyal OpenAI users to make the switch to Gemini.
This week, the company announced a suite of new “switching tools” that let users efficiently transfer entire chat logs and “memories” — or individual profile details like personal preferences, relationships, and historic context — directly into a new Gemini account. The goal is to skip the time needed to personalize a nascent chatbot assistant and get right into using a Gemini that knows you.
“Once you import these memories, Gemini will understand the same key facts you’ve shared with other apps, like your interests, your sibling’s name, or where you grew up. Instead of starting over from scratch, you can quickly get Gemini up to speed on what matters most to you,” the company wrote in a March 26 blog post.
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In addition, Gemini can now access and learn from the rest of your linked Google accounts, including Gmail and Photos, using Google’s Personal Intelligence.
How to import your chatbot conversations to Gemini
The tools don’t just involve simple data upload, although users are encouraged to upload entire chat logs via zip file, too. Instead, Gemini uses your existing chatbot’s knowledge to its advantage, offering tailored prompts to gather “memory” that can then be fed back to Gemini. Here’s how to use it:
- Google account
- Gemini app
Step 1:
Go to “Settings” in the Gemini app.
Step 2:
Select “New Import”
Step 3:
Copy the provided prompt.
Step 4:
Paste the prompt into your existing chatbot of choice.
Step 5:
Copy the chatbot’s summary of your preferences.
Step 6:
Paste the summary in the Gemini Settings window, then select “+Add Memory”
Why users may be flocking to Gemini
Earlier this month, TechCrunch reported that the standalone ChatGPT app had experienced 295 percent day-over-day increase in app uninstalls and a 13 percent decline in downloads, following news that the chatbot’s parent company had brokered a deal with President Donald Trump’s Department of War. The company swooped in amid an ongoing feud between Anthropic, makers of chatbot Claude, and the Pete Hegseth-led department over the use of generative AI tools for mass domestic surveillance and the potential creation of weapons.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman quickly backtracked, saying that the company had moved too fast in an effort to “de-escalate” a tense situation. But users were still put off by the company’s quick acquiescence in negotiating a contract with the administration. Meanwhile, downloads for the Claude app jumped.
