Thoughts Brewing Blog

AI Quick Tips 331: Intro to Gemini Personal Intelligence

Written by Damien Griffin | May 26, 2026 5:00:00 PM
 

You finally sat down to get some work done, but you’re stuck in a digital Groundhog Day.

Every time you open Google Gemini, you have to remind it that you hate jargon, you want bullet points, and you need a TL;DR at the top.

What is Personal Intelligence in Gemini?

The new Personal Intelligence menu is the closest thing Gemini has to a permanent memory, and if you know how to pull the right levers, it turns Gemini from a generic chatbot into a tool that actually knows who you are.

One thing to note - we don’t have access to this on our Pro account that is tied to Google Workspace. If you don’t see the feature, that may be why. It is available on our free accounts and Plus accounts.

 

To access and configure the feature -

  • Open the Gemini app (gemini.google.com)
  • Click on Personal Intelligence (it’s possible that it will still be listed as Personal Context)

You will see a new window with multiple sections

 

The first setting you’ll see is a Memory toggle for using your past chats for current and future context. Turning this on allows Gemini to “learn from your past chats to understand more about you.”

 

It’s great for continuity, but it’s a double-edged sword.

If you’re switching from chatting about “Planning a high-level marketing strategy” to “Asking why my cat is weird,” you might want to keep an eye on how much context is leaking between those conversations.

 

What are Connected Apps in Gemini?

The Connected Apps section allows you to link to other Google services (i.e., YouTube, Google Workspace, Google Photos, etc.) and gather more potential context for your conversations.

 

Your Instructions for Gemini

And the Instructions for Gemini section lets you tell Gemini exactly how to respond to you.

For example -

  • Only use bulleted lists
  • Provide a Spanish translation after every answer
  • Start every response with a concise summary
  • Always respond as a pirate
  • Etc.

 

If Gemini’s answers consistently miss the mark, you can turn it into an instruction so that it, hopefully, improves.

 

If Gemini doesn’t follow something in your instructions, which will happen, give a follow-up prompt that references your instructions. Something like - “Remember in my instructions I said that I like concise responses”




Video Demo