Gemini Cloud Assist in Cloud Billing provides generative AI-powered assistance to help you analyze your billing data. To provide an integrated assistance experience, Gemini Cloud Assist in Cloud Billing is available in Cloud Billing Reports.
Access to the Gemini Cloud Assist features available in Cloud Billing Reports requires the following:
- The Gemini for Google Cloud API is enabled a Google Cloud project where you have the necessary Identity and Access Management (IAM) project permissions to access the API.
- On the Cloud Billing account, you have the necessary IAM billing permissions to view billing reports.
AI assistance with Gemini Cloud Assist in Cloud Billing
Gemini Cloud Assist in Cloud Billing provides FinOps-focused AI assistance to create the cost reports you need to analyze your cost trends and to summarize key insights from the cost reports, making it easier to understand your costs.
Gemini Cloud Assist in Cloud Billing provides AI assistance to help you in the following ways:
- Saving reports. You can select various Google-configured and user-configured cost reports to analyze your cost trends. The saved reports feature updates the previous Saved views feature and also replaces the report Presets with an expanded number of Google-preconfigured reports.
- Creating reports using Gemini assistance. You can create custom cost reports using natural language prompts.
- Summarizing reports. Gemini Cloud Assist provides summaries of key insights and anomalies from each cost report.
Saved reports
To analyze your cost trends, you can select from various Google-configured and user-configured cost reports:
Google Cloud offers a range of preconfigured cost reports (formerly known as Presets) that are ready to use with a single click. These reports address common FinOps cost reporting needs, helping you implement best practices faster. You can scroll through the carousel of preconfigured reports, or click See all reports for a comprehensive list.
Additionally, if you create and save custom cost reports (previously known as Saved views), your saved reports are also available for you and your team in the See all reports tab.
When you select a preconfigured or saved report, your report filters are set based on the saved report settings, and your selected report is shown, along with a report summary. You can further customize the report by manually updating the report settings and filters, or by asking Gemini Cloud Assist to find or create a report. You can save edited and custom-created reports to your list of saved reports.
Gemini-assisted reports creation
You can create custom cost reports using natural language prompts:
If the saved reports don't meet your needs, you can describe the report that you want using natural language. Gemini Cloud Assist interprets your request and automatically configures the report settings and filters to create the report for you.
Write better prompts for reports
When you ask Gemini Cloud Assist in Cloud Billing to find or create a report, you should include as much context and specific detail as possible when you describe the report you would like to view. At a minimum, specify a time range and a group by when writing a prompt for a report.
- If you don't explicitly specify the Time range in the prompt, your report settings default to Current month.
- If you don't explicitly specify the Group by option in the prompt, your report settings default to grouping costs by Service.
Here are a few example prompts to get you started:
Daily costs by service for the last 5 daysInvoice costs per SKU for July 2024Monthly costs by project for the last 6 monthsCompute Engine spend by SKU in project-name since the beginning of 2024
Tip, start with a preconfigured report, then prompt for additional filters to focus your cost analysis. When using this method, write the name of the report, followed by the additional filters, as shown in this example:
SKUs – daily costs this month for Compute Engine in US regions
SKUs – daily costs this month— name of preconfigured report, sets the Time range and Group by option.Compute Engine— sets the Services filterUS regions— sets the Locations filter
Save custom reports to use again
In billing reports, Gemini Cloud Assist is focused on helping you to create the cost reports that you need to analyze your Google Cloud costs. To reuse a custom report that you created with Gemini Cloud Assist, you can save the report. Your saved reports are added to the list of reports available in the See all reports tab.
Report summaries provided by Gemini Cloud Assist
Gemini Cloud Assist summarizes key insights and anomalies from each cost report:
The Gemini-assisted report summaries are designed to provide accurate insights. We developed the report insights in partnership with Google's research teams.
Using FinOps-trained models, Gemini Cloud Assist analyzes your cost reports and delivers actionable insights. Depending on your report settings, insights can include a summary of the following:
- Overall costs: total costs for the specified time period, with cost trends (increasing or decreasing).
- Cost drivers: for example, the services responsible for the biggest cost changes, both in terms of absolute amount and percentage.
- Savings: how much you've saved through cost optimization, with direct links to the FinOps hub for further recommendations.
- Budgeting: suggestions to create budgets to track and control spending.
Gemini Cloud Assist provides up to three key insights per report, helping you pinpoint areas for deeper analysis or cost optimization.
Where to interact with Gemini Cloud Assist in Cloud Billing
After you enable Gemini Cloud Assist for the tools that appear in Cloud Billing, you can seek assistance in the following places:
- Cloud Billing: Reports page
- Google Cloud console, including Cloud Billing pages: Gemini pane
Cloud Billing: Reports page
To access the new AI features in your Cloud Billing reports, in the Google Cloud console, log into your Cloud Billing account and view the Reports page.
In the Google Cloud console, go to the Dashboard page.
Select a Google Cloud project where the Gemini for Google Cloud API is enabled.
The project should be linked to the same billing account you intend to analyze, and you should have adequate IAM permissions on the project to use Gemini Cloud Assist in Cloud Billing.
In the navigation menu, click Billing.
If you are prompted to choose which billing account you want to view and manage, click Go to linked billing account to view the billing account that is linked to your selected project.
The Cloud Billing Overview page opens for the selected billing account.
In the Cost management section of the Billing navigation menu, select Reports.
The Reports page opens and shows a report using default settings, displaying all costs for the current month, grouped by service.
Use the Gemini Cloud Assist features to interact with the Cloud Billing Report.
When you are viewing the Reports page, if the Gemini for Google Cloud API is already enabled in a Google Cloud project where you have adequate project permissions to use Gemini assistants, you see the Gemini Cloud Assist in Cloud Billing features on the Reports page:
What you can do if Gemini is not enabled in billing reports
If Gemini Cloud Assist in Cloud Billing is not yet enabled, you can still access the preconfigured and saved reports in the See all reports tab. Also, you can manually configure reports by selecting the various report settings and filters to create a report.
However, without Gemini Cloud Assist in Cloud Billing enabled, you won't be able to prompt Gemini Cloud Assist to create a report, or see the Gemini Cloud Assist-provided report summary.
You might be able to enable Gemini Cloud Assist from the billing report
Consider the following when you view the Cloud Billing Reports page:
If you have not yet enabled the Gemini for Google Cloud API in a Google Cloud project but you have adequate project permissions to do so, you can select Enable Gemini API to use Gemini Cloud Assist in Cloud Billing:
If you have not yet enabled the Gemini for Google Cloud API in a Google Cloud project, and you don't have adequate project permissions to enable the API in any of the projects associated with the Cloud Billing account, the Enable Gemini API button is greyed out:
Ask an administrator or project owner to set you up to use Gemini Cloud Assist in Cloud Billing. They need to enable the Gemini for Google Cloud API in a project that is associated with the Cloud Billing account that you are viewing, and then grant you the Cloud AI Companion User IAM role on the project where the Gemini for Google Cloud API is enabled.
Chat in Gemini pane in Google Cloud console
You can access AI-powered assistance in Gemini Cloud Assist in Cloud Billing by using the Gemini pane in the Google Cloud console.
The Gemini pane is a conversational assistant that lets you enter natural language statements or questions (known as prompts) to get help—for example, using Google Cloud, optimizing resources, or using the Google Cloud CLI to manage Google Cloud. Beyond general Google Cloud knowledge, the conversational assistant understands context, like your current project and console page.
To use the Gemini pane, do the following:
- In the Google Cloud console toolbar, click Open or close Gemini AI chat.
- In the Gemini pane, enter your prompt—for example,
How can I optimize my costs?. - Click Send prompt.
In Cloud Billing, the Gemini conversational assistant provides general answers to your billing questions, but it doesn't return product pricing or specific Google Cloud cost information. For assistance in finding or creating a billing report to analyze your Cloud Billing costs, use the Gemini Cloud Assist prompt available on the Cloud Billing Reports page.
Learn how and when Gemini for Google Cloud uses your data. As an early-stage technology, Gemini for Google Cloud products can generate output that seems plausible but is factually incorrect. We recommend that you validate all output from Gemini for Google Cloud products before you use it. For more information, see Gemini for Google Cloud and responsible AI.
Set up Gemini Cloud Assist in Cloud Billing
For detailed setup steps for the Gemini Cloud Assist features that appear in Cloud Billing, see Set up Gemini Cloud Assist in Cloud Billing.
Turn off Gemini Cloud Assist in Cloud Billing
For information on how to turn off the Gemini Cloud Assist features that appear in Cloud Billing, see Turn off Gemini Cloud Assist in Cloud Billing.
What's next
- Learn more about the different types of generative AI assistance available in Gemini for Google Cloud.
- Learn how Gemini for Google Cloud uses your data.
- Learn more about Google Cloud compliance.