Google launches tools to move chats from ChatGPT and other AI bots into Gemini

Google has launched switching tools, a set of tools that let users of other AI assistants move their chat history and personal data directly into Gemini. The company expects this to lower the barrier to changing platforms and to attract the audiences of ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot and other rivals.

The principle is familiar and works much like Google Takeout. The user requests a data export from the other service, then imports it into a Google account. As a result, Gemini receives the saved chats, custom instructions and personal settings accumulated in the competing bot. The process requires no technical knowledge and takes a few minutes.

The move makes sense given the fierce competition in the AI assistant market. ChatGPT holds the lead with more than 300 million weekly active users, while Gemini, despite deep integration into the Google ecosystem, trails noticeably in reach. Switching tools are a classic way to cut switching costs: the easier it is to leave a competitor, the better the odds of winning over its audience.

There is also a regulatory context. The European Union is actively enforcing the Digital Markets Act (DMA), which obliges large platforms to ensure data portability. Although the launch of switching tools is not directly tied to DMA requirements for Google, the general push toward data portability makes such tools not a competitive advantage but a market standard. Failing to offer them would mean losing to those who already do.

This is not Google's first tool for reducing friction in onboarding. Earlier, the company bet on people already in the Workspace ecosystem by integrating Gemini into Gmail, Docs and Drive. Switching tools are the next step: Google is now going after people who sit in someone else's ecosystem. It is an indirect admission that the organic flow of users from ChatGPT is not enough to close the gap.

In practical terms for users: if you have spent years accumulating useful chats, custom instructions or work scenarios in ChatGPT, you no longer have to start from scratch. Your history moves with you. For business and professional users with built-up context, this matters especially.

Google has not yet specified which data is actually transferred, or whether the formats of all major competitors (ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot, Perplexity) are supported. The company speaks of "other chatbots" in general terms without naming specific source platforms. The list will likely grow as services begin to implement compatible export formats.

The AI assistant market is moving from a phase of "who launches fastest" to one of "who retains and wins over users." Google is betting on lowering barriers, which is arguably wiser than trying to win solely through new model capabilities.