Developers behind the big generative AI chatbots are rolling out new capabilities at a fast clip, trying to make their assistants the first place people turn when they need help from artificial intelligence.
One recent addition to Google Gemini brings scheduled actions: items you can ask the assistant to run automatically on a timetable you set. Want a weather-and-news briefing every morning at 7 a.m.? Want a dinner idea sent every night at 7 p.m.? Anything Gemini can do on demand can now be arranged to run on a schedule.
ChatGPT’s apps introduced scheduled jobs months earlier, so the two services now offer the same basic idea: the bot performs a command at a set time and can repeat it on a regular basis. Below is a look at how both platforms handle scheduling.
At the time of writing, this requires a subscription to Google's AI service, which starts at $20 a month for Google AI Pro. Gemini can track up to 10 scheduled actions at once, so users should pick which routines they want to automate. Scheduled actions are available on Gemini’s web version and in its Android and iOS apps.
Creating a scheduled action in Gemini is straightforward: describe the task and include the timing in the prompt. For example, you might tell Gemini to "generate an image of a cat playing with a ball of yarn, every Monday at 12 pm," or to "give me a general knowledge trivia question every evening at 7 pm."
Scheduled actions may be one-off events, for instance next Friday at 3 p.m., or set to recur on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis. The feature does not support more complex patterns such as every second Tuesday of the month, and it won’t trigger at random times.
When Gemini detects a scheduling request it should show a short recap that lists what it will do, when it will run, and how often. If that summary looks correct, there’s nothing more to set up. Actions run whether or not the app is open, and you receive an alert on your devices (if notifications are enabled) plus an email.
On the web you can find and manage scheduled actions by clicking Settings and help in the left-hand navigation bar, then choosing Scheduled actions. In the mobile app, tap your account picture in the top-right corner and pick Scheduled actions. From those screens you can pause or delete scheduled items; the web interface also has an Edit button that lets you change the prompt or the timing.
ChatGPT’s scheduled items are labeled tasks rather than actions, and creation works on the web and in Android and iOS apps, but you need one of ChatGPT’s paid plans. For individual users, plans start at $20 a month with ChatGPT Plus.
Like Gemini, ChatGPT allows up to 10 scheduled actions at a time and builds them from simple descriptions. You could tell ChatGPT to "generate a poster for a high-concept sci-fi movie every day at 5 pm," or to "give me a good reason to go out jogging every Saturday at 8 am." Tasks may be recurring or set as single events for a future date.
ChatGPT should detect that you want to schedule something and then confirm the details. On the web a compact summary box appears inside the chat; use the three dots on that box to edit, pause, or delete the task. Tasks run at their scheduled times regardless of whether you have ChatGPT open.
To view or adjust tasks you must use the web interface. Click the three dots on any task box and choose Manage tasks, or click your account avatar in the top-right corner, then go to Settings > Notifications > Manage tasks. That Notifications panel also controls how you are alerted when a task runs: via email alerts, push notifications on your devices, or both methods together.