Whether it’s generating short videos or analyzing your spreadsheets, Google Gemini can handle pretty much everything you throw at it. This also means that users are increasingly relying on Gemini for everyday tasks, building a sort of dependence on the chatbot.
It appears that Google is aware that excessive use of chatbots isn’t healthy, and is already working on a new feature to help curb this dependence to some extent. Looking into version 17.3.59 (beta) of the Google app, Android Authority activated a new prompt that encourages users to “Try a short break.”
The description explains how “it can be helpful to take breaks when you’re talking to an AI assistant that isn’t human,” preceded by “you’ve been chatting with Gemini for a while.” That’s a pretty strong message to remind users to hit pause on that long Gemini conversation. Such reminders already exist for YouTube, with the platform adding a daily timer functionality for YouTube Shorts content last year.
A great tool to limit your Gemini use
Unfortunately, Android Authority was unable to determine exactly when (or how) this feature would be activated. As the publication points out, a timer could be implemented to trigger the Try a short break prompt on the screen, which, in turn, would mean it may not be activated by default. Additional information about Google Gemini’s implementation of this functionality should be available in subsequent updates of the Google app.
Given the limited information available at the moment, we suspect Try a short break may not be ready for prime time just yet. In any case, it’s clear that Google recognizes the harms of excessive AI use and is prepared to remind users about them. According to an MIT Media Lab study from last year, prolonged use of chatbots can affect your mental well-being, depending on how they’re used.
It’s important to note that OpenAI’s ChatGPT already offers a “Just checking in” prompt when you’ve been using the chatbot for a while. However, there’s no user-controllable element, as ChatGPT determines when you’ve been using it for a long time and reminds you to take a breather.
Although most users today are aware of AI chatbots’ ability to provide inaccurate info, more specific and direct reminders to people who use chatbots for extended periods can only be a good thing. We hope that Gemini lets users determine when to activate these reminders, rather than having them appear randomly when you least expect them.
Would you find a feature like this useful to limit your Gemini use?
