Google launches tools to import chat history into Gemini

On Thursday, Google announced the launch of “switching tools,” which are designed to allow users to transfer their chat histories and “memories”—which the company defines as chunks of personal information—from other chatbots directly into Gemini. The new feature is aimed at making it easier for users to adopt Google’s AI assistant without needing to manually re-train the system on their personal context. By lowering the friction of switching, Google is positioning Gemini to attract users who have already invested time in building up histories with other AI assistants, helping the company catch up in consumer mindshare.

To transfer memories, Gemini suggests a prompt that users can enter into their current chatbot. The current chatbot then generates a response containing the user’s personal context, which can be copied and pasted back into Gemini. In this fashion, Gemini coaches the user on what kinds of information it would be helpful to know about them, while also helping facilitate the transmission of that information back into its own archive. According to Google, “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.” The company added, “Instead of starting over from scratch, you can quickly get Gemini up to speed on what matters most to you.”

For chat histories, Google allows users to upload their exported chat logs directly as a zip file. It is relatively easy to export chat logs via zip files from most chatbots, including ChatGPT and Claude. Once uploaded, users can search through their historical conversations and continue their chats directly within Gemini. This allows users to pick up where they left off with their previous chatbot, making the transition between platforms seamless.

The launch comes as Google attempts to capture consumer mindshare from competitors in the consumer chatbot market, where there is currently strong competition for consumer attention. Despite Google’s distribution platforms, including its default placement across Android devices and the Chrome browser, Gemini has lagged in consumer mindshare. The scale of the two platforms is currently defined by different reporting metrics:

• ChatGPT: OpenAI announced that its chatbot has reached 900 million weekly active users.
• Gemini: Alphabet announced that its assistant has surpassed 750 million monthly active users.

Why it matters

By simplifying the migration of personal data, Google is lowering the barrier to entry for its AI assistant. This strategy aims to capture market share from competitors by removing the friction of switching platforms.