Projects in Gemini: Google integrates "Notebook" feature

Google's AI tool Gemini is getting a new feature called “Notebooks”, which allows users to organize information on specific topics in one place while using the AI chatbot. As the company announced on Wednesday, users can, for example, insert files, previous conversations, and custom instructions into the notebooks, which Gemini can then use as context while they are talking to the chatbot. In Gemini's side menu, alongside “My Content” and “Gems”, there are now “Notebooks”, which can be understood as projects.

The introduction of Notebooks into Gemini seems to be a consistent continuation of Google's direction to provide information more structurally in Gemini. At the end of last year, Google had already integrated NotebookLM as a source into the Gemini app. In NotebookLM, it has long been possible to analyze texts, conversations, and other content using the AI platform and organize them as a knowledge collection.

Gemini is becoming more of a personal knowledge database

Google is not the only company betting on an organized knowledge collection in its AI tool. “Notebooks” seem to follow a similar approach to the “Projects” feature introduced by OpenAI in ChatGPT in 2024. With this, users can also save information on a specific topic in one place. Google explains Notebooks as follows: “Think of notebooks as personal knowledge bases shared across Google products, starting in Gemini.” Gemini's notebooks can also be synchronized with Google's AI research tool NotebookLM. This means that sources added in one app can be displayed in both. This also unlocks NotebookLM-exclusive features like video overviews and infographics – even if a notebook was originally created in the Gemini app.

The company explains in its announcement that notebooks can be used to clearly summarize conversations on a specific topic in one place. In addition, previous chats can be moved into notebooks, individual instructions can be given to the chatbot, and relevant files such as documents and PDFs can be added to provide Gemini with more context on a topic. Once the sources selected by the user are organized in a notebook, “Gemini uses them alongside its powerful tools and web search to provide uniquely helpful responses,” it continues.

According to Google, the Notebook feature in Gemini is expected to be available in the USA later this week. Initially, the feature will only be available for subscribers of Google AI Ultra, Pro, and Plus in the web version. Depending on the subscription plan, the number of sources that can be added to a notebook varies. In the coming weeks, the company plans to expand to mobile devices, other countries (including Europe), and make it available to free users. Finally, Google points out in the footnotes that the Notebook feature in Gemini is not available for users under 18 years of age, nor for Workspace and Education accounts.

(afl)