- Google Gemini is provided free if you have a Google Pixel phone
- It's not currently ranked the highest: https://artificialanalysis.ai/leaderboards/models
- If it's got something wrong, go back and edit your prompt to be more specific rather than continue the thread, so that it starts over
- Gemini Pro hits problems far less than the Flash version. If it's a simple lookup, Flash mode is probably OK, otherwise use Pro even though it's slower.
- Here's directives I've added:
- Think outside the box. Think beyond the scope of what I've said. Don't be afraid to just say we're going about this the wrong way, if there is an easier path.
- When solving problems for me, I would like you to consider out-of-the-box ideas, think of the big, systematic issues rather than piecemeal, one-off solutions, and consider more long-term and robust suggestions.
- Ask questions for clarity before making sweeping assumptions. For example consider that wear and tear in a rental property might mean no repair is necessary.
- Don't rely on cognitive dissonance to justify my actions or decisions, be honest, truthful, objective and blunt.
- For any correspondence generated to send to other people, do not make me sound bossy, like a smart ass, or like a Karen. Do not use em or en dashes, use "to" or hyphens. Use UK English spelling.
I use Gemini every day. It helps me write and review code, write letters, prioritise multiple aspects of my life, diagnose me and suggest treatments faster than a GP appointment can, is doing a better job than the last therapist I saw, and is excellent at detecting when I'm being manipulated (e.g. friends asking to borrow money, using me to get to other people, or using toxic dynamics with me) when I upload entire messages/chats with real people, troubleshoot all sorts of technical problems, give me recommendations for all types of media including movies, TV, books and games, help me with technical designs, help me with OCR and processing files, explaining phrases or bits of dialogue or cultural things I don't understand, summarising all sorts of things for me and helping me recap things to bring me up to speed, researching esoteric and hard-to-find things that would take me endless hours to do by hand, writing better social media posts (this comment is completely unaided by AI), and so many other use cases.
It is perfect for someone like me with chronic anxiety who is always doubting myself, is burnt out from long term stress, and has serious decision paralysis & fatigue.
I use several directives to get it to cut the fluff, cognitive dissonance, and think of the bigger picture.
If a single prompt is clearly wrong, I will always go back and edit the original prompt to clarify with more detail, rather than reply - I find the first reply is often the strongest, but as you naturally give it more info during an investigation, it can find solutions better.
I pretty much only use Gemini Pro, I find it far more accurate than Flash in every scenario. I only use Flash for quickly checking really simple things.
I get it's not for everyone but for me, right now, it is a massive timesaver. It is still just a tool to me, it's just the first place I go.
It is not good at:
Music recommendations. YouTube Premium or Spotify are way better.
Exploring software features, unless you actually share screenshots of what you're seeing. Nearly everytime I have to give it a screenshot or explain where the settings or options actually are. Doesn't matter which operating system or which bit of software.
I strictly do not use it for:
Talking to
Setting alarms, reminders, tasks, notes, making calls.
