Perhaps you’ve noticed that ChatGPT has been a little clunky ever since rolling out image generation within GPT-4o. I certainly have. Whether I’m generating an image or entering a prompt, I’m regularly getting an error message for one reason or another.
OpenAI has acknowledged the problem and mentioned their team is working hard to fix issues. However, the inconsistency in ChatGPT’s service as well as Google’s introduction of Gemini Personalization, an experiential model that learns user interests, preferences, and the context of their interactions, has left me exploring Gemini and using it more often.
The model provides responses and suggestions that are more relevant and specific to user needs, making them more directly applicable to your current situation and aligned with topics you care about.
The following are five prompts that have converted me to a regular Gemini user.
1. Real-time information & location awareness
Prompt: “What are 3 highly rated restaurants near [location] that are open right now and offer outdoor seating options suitable for this time of year? Briefly mention their cuisine type."
I’ve used this prompt for everything from restaurants and weekend activities for the family to haircuts for my kids.
This prompt serves as an effective evaluation of Gemini's advanced capabilities because it allows me to get extremely specific with location, time of day, and even weather conditions for family outings.
Unlike a standard Google search, Gemini's real-time search feature, combined with its utilization of location services and comprehension of contextual factors such as weather conditions, enables it to interpret temporal contexts.
Plus, because it has access to my search history, it knows the type of places I like to eat, shop, and explore.
2. Contextual advice
Prompt: “Outline a soccer workout plan for my tween focused on improving endurance and coordination. Assume access to basic gym equipment (treadmill, stationary bike, rowing machine). Specify types of exercises, duration, and frequency per week, including warm-up and cool-down suggestions."
With the information from this query, I have been able to help my tween better prepare for soccer games and practices. The prompt forces the AI to move beyond generic workout advice because I’ve provided specifics about who needs the workout (my tween) and what kind. Adapting this prompt has been helpful for me as a runner for over 30 years, as has also been useful to my daughter, a tennis player.
Gemini has the ability to tailor suggestions considering the age group (tweens have different physiological needs and safety considerations than adults), the specific demands of soccer (which requires both running endurance and agile coordination), and integrate with limited weight lifting as children are less likely to lift weights and instead use their own bodyweight for strength training.
3. Personal growth
Prompt: "Considering my hobbies and interests, suggest a new skill or activity that aligns with my passions but I've yet to explore."
I’m a runner and a writer, but I also enjoy cooking and collecting art. I have used a version of this prompt to help expand my horizons, particularly when I feel like I’m in a creative rut.
This is a great prompt for Gemini specifically because it taps into the model’s strength in personalization, synthesis, and recommendation.
Gemini’s higher-level cognitive abilities and multi-layered reasoning skills come to play here to provide a rich and thoughtful response.
4. Complex task planning
Prompt: “Help me plan dinner when I only have 30 minutes between finishing up work and dropping my daughter off at tennis practice.”
I recommend Gemini for complex tasks because of the model’s incredible intelligence. This type of prompt brings out the model’s ability to understand everything from practical problem-solving, context awareness, time constraints, and personalization.
Highly relatable (iykyk), this real-life prompt is exactly the kind of thing Gemini does best. The model shines when helping users streamline day-to-day decision-making.
5. Summarization
Prompt: "Summarize the main arguments of the following article: [insert article text here]."
To stay productive, getting to the heart of what I’m reading, whether it’s the news or an email, is important. Gemini makes this possible while ensuring that I get the points that matter the most to me.
Because Gemini Personalization has gotten to know me, it can pull out the details almost as well as if I was doing it myself. This type of prompt helps me streamline workflows, while also ensuring that I have all the information I need without missing a beat.
Final thoughts
These prompts — from real-time local recommendations to personalized workout plans and creative discovery — showcase Gemini’s ability to deliver relevant, contextual, and efficient assistance across a wide range of everyday tasks. What makes them especially powerful is their adaptability and how well they align with Gemini’s personalization capabilities.
As part of its experimental model, Gemini can tap into your Search history (with permission, of course) to offer responses that feel truly tailored to you — making it not just helpful, but a genuinely smarter, more intuitive alternative to other chatbots. Plus, users can always opt out of the Personalization feature at any time.
More from Tom's Guide
- I told ChatGPT something that I still regret — here's 7 things you should never share
- ChatGPT-5 is coming 'soon' — here's what we know
- I let ChatGPT Tasks schedule my day — and it was a trainwreck to say the least
You must confirm your public display name before commenting
Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.
