Google’s AI note-taking app now allows you to interact with books
The Verge
•2026-08-27T15:30:00-04:00
📰 What Happened
Google's AI note-taking app, Gemini Notebook, now allows users to pull information from books they have purchased. A new feature called Expert Intelligence lets people bring titles from Google Play Books directly into Notebook. That means users can ask questions about the material and generate plans, infographics, AI podcasts, and more based on it. The feature effectively turns users' purchased ebook libraries into an interactive AI research tool.
🔍 The Backstory
Gemini Notebook previously worked with a mix of uploaded documents, web URLs, pages and other sources that users supplied. Extending it to bring in Google Play book purchases turns the app into an AI reading and research companion. It flows from Google's broader push to make Gemini the natural tool for learning and note-taking. Earlier Notebook updates added features such as AI-generated podcasts, which users can now also generate from books.
🎯 Why It Matters
This turns textbook chapters and personal book purchases into an interactive learning resource, effectively putting an AI tutor behind a personal library. It shows how Google is shrinking the gap between owning content and being able to query and remix it with AI. The feature also deepens the integration with books Google sells, boosting engagement across its Play ecosystem. It is a demonstration of an AI product strategy built around access to a digital library.
Google's AI note-taking app, Gemini Notebook, now allows users to pull information from books they have purchased. A new feature called Expert Intelligence lets people bring titles from Google Play Books directly into Notebook. That means users can ask questions about the material and generate plans, infographics, AI podcasts, and more based on it. The feature effectively turns users' purchased ebook libraries into an interactive AI research tool.
Gemini Notebook previously worked with a mix of uploaded documents, web URLs, pages and other sources that users supplied. Extending it to bring in Google Play book purchases turns the app into an AI reading and research companion. It flows from Google's broader push to make Gemini the natural tool for learning and note-taking. Earlier Notebook updates added features such as AI-generated podcasts, which users can now also generate from books.
This turns textbook chapters and personal book purchases into an interactive learning resource, effectively putting an AI tutor behind a personal library. It shows how Google is shrinking the gap between owning content and being able to query and remix it with AI. The feature also deepens the integration with books Google sells, boosting engagement across its Play ecosystem. It is a demonstration of an AI product strategy built around access to a digital library.