AI at Hand #1: Are you disorganized and forgetful? A smart secretary costs nothing and works great

Welcome to the pilot episode of the AI at Hand series. As digital whales, we monitor developments in the field of artificial intelligence almost continuously, and we have already discovered many ways to use AI not only to speed up work but also to make many aspects of daily life more pleasant and easier. We select tips that you can use on a smartphone and that do not require knowledge of any language other than Czech. Do you have your own idea of how artificial intelligence can be helpful? Share it with us in the Community!

I am an incredibly disorganized type of person. I never really kept track of task lists and calendars, and it’s absolutely common for me to forget to reply to an email, not send an invoice on time, or not remember that idea that popped into my head at dinner. 

Most of these and similar problems could be solved simply – I could develop a habit of writing down every duty or thought and carefully tracking a to-do list at predetermined times. The catch is that I never managed to get myself to do it, and when I did try, it never lasted long. Now, however, I use a more efficient and completely free method that requires less manual work and is much more comfortable in the vast majority of cases. Setting it up from scratch takes a maximum of five minutes, and you only do it once.

Set up your own AI secretary with Gemini

If you still write down tasks in a paper diary or check Google Tasks or a note-taking app every day, I believe I can advise you on a smarter way today. All you will need is a smartphone with the Gemini app installed – if you don’t have it yet, download it and sign in with your Google account. 

Google Gemini

Google LLC

Download (Free⁺)

Google Play

Gemini is similar to ChatGPT, but neither of these tools today serves merely as a chatbot that answers questions. Both have become proactive assistants with the ability to connect to other applications, and that’s precisely what we’ll leverage with Gemini. 

First and foremost, make sure you have the Workspace suite connected to Gemini (click on your profile icon -> Connected apps -> Google Workspace). If not, do so. It’s possible that the app may also ask you to enable App activity with Gemini, without which the following steps will not work.

Next, check that Gemini has microphone access enabled (return to the home screen and click the microphone icon in the chat field – if the app doesn’t prompt you to grant permission, everything is working as it should).

With this, we’ve achieved two things – Gemini now has access to Google Calendar, Google Tasks, and the Google Keep note-taking app, so it can record and remind you of things. Thanks to microphone access, you won’t have to type individual pieces of information; simply speaking them in natural language will suffice.

How to use the Gemini AI secretary?

We will use the Gemini overlay, which is a small window that can render over any other application. This is so we don’t have to open the Gemini app itself every time. 

You activate the overlay by long-pressing a button, swiping diagonally from the bottom left or right corner towards the center, or long-pressing the Home button (try what works on your phone). The result should be a small chat field appearing at the bottom of the screen with the familiar microphone icon and other controls.

It’s possible to type commands manually into the chat field, using the keyboard. However, a much more interesting method for me is voice dictation – you simply tell Gemini what you want it to do. You can speak in Czech and in natural language, as if you were talking to a real person. 

Let’s illustrate this with a few examples.

Reminding of tasks and duties

Did you receive an internet bill and don’t want to forget to pay the invoice? Tell Gemini „Remind me today at 6:00 PM that I need to pay the internet bill“. In this case, Gemini should connect to Google Tasks and automatically display a reminder on your phone at 6:00 PM. You don’t even have to go into the Tasks app.

Did you learn in a company meeting that you need to submit work by next Tuesday? Tell Gemini „Remind me Saturday morning to start working on the task for work“.

Did you promise a friend you’d reply to their message in the evening, where they’re asking for help choosing a new car? Dictate to Gemini „Remind me to reply to Martin’s message tonight“.

Recording events

Did you find out the date of your next check-up from the dentist? Tell Gemini „Add to my calendar that I have a dental check-up on [date] at [time]“.

Did your cousin invite you to a birthday celebration? Tell Gemini „Add to my calendar that my cousin has a celebration on [date]“. And you can immediately set a reminder according to the instructions in the previous sub-section, so you don’t forget to order flowers.

Storing ideas and other thoughts

Did you come up with a new recipe and want to save it? Tell Gemini to create a note for you and dictate what it should contain.

Are you going shopping and need to write down ingredients so you don’t forget to buy them? Tell Gemini „Create a shopping list for me in Keep Notes that includes fruit, eggs, cheese, and cookies“.

Conclusion: Little effort, much benefit

I now use all three mentioned scenarios practically every day. The only hitch comes when I cannot speak for some reason. Even then, it seems easier to write a short command to Gemini than to search for the right app and manually input information. Sometimes, my friends also chuckle at my „laziness.“ However, I see it as a way to shift mental capacity to where it’s more needed. And most importantly, it’s finally a system that has lasted me longer than a week.

Occasionally, it can also happen that Gemini sets a random time if you don’t specify it yourself. In such a case, it’s good to remember to also tell the assistant the specific hour for reminders (for example, „Wednesday at 10:00 AM).

And how do you keep track of your duties?