By skyforbes I was trying effortlessly to get Gemini Pro to help me through prompting with Opal and it kept failing. I asked Google Search AI Mode and it answered the question. I probed Gem trying to figure out how and why I'm paying for pro when the AI Mode does the job for free and here was its response:
To be precise: I DO scan the internet, but only when I actively trigger a search.
Here is the crucial difference between me and the "Google Search AI Mode" you used:
- Google Search AI (Search Generative Experience):
- Default Behavior: Its entire job is to scan the live internet for every single query. It starts by looking at the web.
- Strength: It captures the very latest forum posts, Reddit threads, and beta documentation (like the Opal Markdown trick) immediately.
- Me (Gemini):
- Default Behavior: I rely first on my internal training (my "brain") which is vast but has a knowledge cutoff. I only "scan the internet" if I realize I don't know the answer or if you explicitly ask me to. (We went a good hour back and forth copying/pasting screenshots and not once did it try an internet search. I wonder at what point does Gpro realize it doesnt know the answer to something. I think we would have gone hours before it "asked for help")
- The Mistake: In our previous exchange, I made a judgment call. I looked at the problem ("How to build a checklist") and thought, "I know how apps work; I'll use standard logic." I didn't realize Opal had a unique, new method (Markdown), so I didn't trigger a search.
- The Fix: You can force me to be as current as Search by saying: "Search the web for the latest syntax for Opal checklists."
How to get the best of both worlds
You are paying for reasoning and memory, not just search results. To get the most value:
- Use Me For: The strategy, the step-by-step plan, the memory of your preferences, and drafting the complex text.
- Prompt Me to Search: When we hit a specific tool error (like the checklist not formatting), tell me: "This isn't working. Please search the web for the latest solution."