digest
Short Summary
Main recommendation: Use Gemini's new file-generation features to create downloadable PDFs, Word documents, Excel and CSV files, Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides, and markdown files directly from chat, especially when the content draws on your Google Drive. The creator presents this as a major step toward Gemini acting on your existing files, though he notes it still has notable limitations. The update is rolling out to all Gemini users, but some editing features depend on your subscription.
Key Points
- Gemini can research a topic and export the results as a Google Doc, with a preview card and a link to open it in Google Docs.
- Gemini can build a spreadsheet from uploaded receipts, producing an Excel file with dates and amounts suitable for QuickBooks, and can also produce CSV and Google Sheets versions on request.
- Gemini can pull data from a Google Sheet in Drive and turn it into a PDF with charts and spending-reduction suggestions, and in the demo the total trip expenses shown were $179.
- Gemini can make slide decks that export to Google Slides, and create multiple files at once in many formats.
- Key limitation: when asked to edit a file in Drive, Gemini creates a duplicate "V2" rather than changing the original, and it struggles to produce polished PowerPoint (PPTX) files.
Details Worth Noting
- Concrete instructions:
- Type the request into the Gemini text box, specifying the content and output format (for example, "create a Google doc with all of its findings").
- To preview a generated file, click the card in the chat; to open it fully, click the link.
- To edit a Google Doc, use the Gemini bar at the bottom of the document, describe the change, then accept or reject the proposed edits. This may not be available on all plans.
- To turn a Gemini slide deck into Google Slides, open it in Gemini and click "export to slides"; you can then ask Gemini or use the "enhance this slide" button to make changes, depending on your plan.
- For receipts, upload the images and ask for an Excel file listing expenses, amounts, and dates; you can then request a CSV or Google Sheets version and ask Gemini to add formulas or adjust formatting.
- To use Drive data, reference the file by name (for example, "find my Las Vegas trip expenses log in Google Sheets") and specify the output, such as a PDF with graphs and savings suggestions.
- To generate many files at once, list the file types and quantity in one prompt (the speaker requested 20 files, each with a joke).
- Features may vary by plan: the Gemini editing bar and certain "workspace intelligence" features are tied to subscription tiers (Google AI Pro and Ultra, and Workspace users).
- Editing existing Drive files creates a duplicate named V2 with changes, so originals are not modified.
- For PowerPoint, the speaker found Gemini first made slides in the chat instead of a file; when he insisted on a PowerPoint, it produced a poor-quality PPTX; and when he asked for a nicer-looking PPTX with images, diagrams, and colors, it again made slides and then just gave him code instead of a file.
- The speaker says the feature could become a major advance if Gemini can directly edit existing Drive files, similar to agent tools like Claude Co-work and OpenAI's Codex.
Bottom Line
Gemini's new file creation is useful for quick research reports, spreadsheets, and PDFs, but its current inability to edit originals in Drive and its weaker PowerPoint output mean it is not yet a full replacement for working directly in those files.