I ditched ChatGPT for Gemini and have mixed feelings

When ChatGPT was launched, I jumped on the bandwagon right away. I’ve been using it ever since but have recently decided to switch to Gemini for a few reasons. First, I enjoy trying out new things, just to see what the competition offers. But more importantly, Gemini’s extensions promised seamless integration with Google’s ecosystem, which showed hopes of simplifying my workflow and saving me time. Or so I thought.

Gemini extensions: A game changer?

For those of you unaware, Gemini extensions work with Google services like Gmail, Maps, Tasks, and many others. Their strength lies in the ability to save time by allowing me to quickly retrieve specific files from Gmail without a manual search, ask how long the drive is from point A to point B without opening Google Maps, and even pull up music to help me focus without leaving the chatbot’s interface.

Sounds great, right? It is — at least when it works. Granted, it does work most of the time. But the problem is that I’ve run into issues often enough to ask myself if it’s even worth it. Prompting Gemini to pull up a specific file really is a time saver, but if it doesn’t do the job correctly and I have to prompt it three more times to get the job done, it’s easier and less stressful to search for it manually.

Let’s go through a few issues I encountered so you get a better feel for what I’m talking about. Gemini was not able to pull up the last email I received in Gmail for the life of me. Even when I told it that it was wrong and to look again, it still couldn’t do it. I went further and even told it the day and time I received the email, and Gemini still failed and fetched me a different, older email.

I also had issues when asking Gemini to pull up the last email I received from a specific sender and tell me what it was about. While it pulled up the sender, the date and time were incorrect, and so was the content of the email. It said the email was a confirmation of a purchase even though it was nothing of the sort. It’s worth noting again that this doesn’t always happen, but it happens frequently enough to be an issue.

I get that Gemini — as well as other AI chatbots — makes mistakes. Google also clearly states that Gemini may get things wrong. However, I just find it odd that Google’s chatbot can’t perform simple tasks like these but has no issues with more complex assignments, like telling me how much I paid for a hotel in Spain 10 years ago. It found the correct email among the thousands I have in Gmail and fetched all the info without a mistake in a few seconds.

But the Gmail integration isn’t the only issue here, as I also had problems with Google Maps. When asked how long it takes to drive from point A to point B in a specific city, it got the info right and showed me the directions on a map. Wonderful. But when I then asked how long it would take to walk that same route, it changed point A to my home address for reasons unknown to me, which is around 35 miles away. So the walking duration, which should be less than 30 minutes, ended up being over 10 hours. Even with several additional prompts, I couldn’t get Gemini to fix this error.

Wait, there’s more

There are other things Gemini can’t do, some of which Google clearly states on its website. Regardless, they just seem like simple tasks that the chatbot should be able to perform at this stage considering everything else it can do.

For example, I can’t seem to find the renewal date for my Gemini Advanced subscription (Google One AI Premium plan) within my Google account, so I asked Gemini about it. It seemed like a reasonably simple task, but apparently, it can’t be done. It also can’t tell me how much Drive storage I have left or pull up my last Google Photos picture.

It can, however, plan a seven-day trip to London, show me the best available flights, and help me find hotels in my desired price range. So it can handle very complex tasks but sometimes fails with simple ones.

Am I switching back?

For now, no. When it comes to general use, ChatGPT and Gemini are on par, at least for my use case. There are things that ChatGPT Plus does better than Gemini Advanced, though. For example, it can summarize the stock market for the previous day, along with gains/losses in % for not only a company of choice but even for the ten biggest companies in the S&P 500 if I ask it too. Gemini can’t do that. However, I find more use in the extensions offered by Google for now, which are great as long as they work.

So, a word of caution: If extensions are the reason you’re considering making the switch or giving the free version of Gemini a try, prepare for a few issues. As already mentioned, they do a good job most of the time, but they are far from perfect.

While I’ve run into a few issues, I’m not giving up on Gemini just yet. AI is constantly evolving, and I have faith that these problems will be solved and new features will be added soon. I’m excited to see what the future holds.