$GOOGL Sets November 17 Deadline for Gemini Gems Migration to New 'Skills' Feature

Google has announced that existing Gemini Gems will be automatically migrated to a new feature called "skills" starting November 17, 2026.
The new skills feature shifts custom instructions out of the separate Gems manager and directly into the conversation flow via a slash command in the prompt box, allowing multiple configurations to be active simultaneously.
While skills are already available for Google AI Pro and Google AI Ultra subscribers through the Gemini Spark tab, important questions remain regarding whether file attachments, default tool assignments, and shareable links will transfer automatically.
The update positions $GOOGL to compete more directly with custom AI agent offerings as it continues to expand Gemini's workflow utility.