Google has upgraded its AI-powered research assistant with new document analysis capabilities that could help users spend less time reviewing lengthy reports, research papers and other complex documents, while rebranding the tool from NotebookLM to Gemini Notebook.
The company announced on Thursday that Gemini Notebook can now use what it calls a secure cloud computer to write and run computer code on users’ uploaded files. In practical terms, this allows the AI to do more than summarise documents or answer questions. It can perform calculations, analyse spreadsheets and datasets, identify trends, compare information across multiple documents and generate richer outputs such as tables and other data-driven analyses, while keeping its responses grounded in the sources provided by users.
Google said the feature is available immediately to Google AI Ultra subscribers and Google Workspace business customers with AI Ultra Access and AI Expanded Access. It will be rolled out to Google AI Pro users on the web over the coming weeks.
Beyond the new capabilities, Google is also bringing the research assistant closer to the rest of its AI products. Users can already create and access notebooks directly from the Gemini app, with changes automatically synchronised between the app and the standalone Gemini Notebook experience. The company said notebooks will also be integrated into AI Mode in Google Search in a future update.
The changes could be particularly relevant to professionals and students who regularly work with large volumes of information. In Nigeria, journalists often sift through government reports, regulatory documents and policy papers, while students, lawyers, researchers and business owners spend hours reviewing academic materials, legal filings, financial records and operational documents. Google says Gemini Notebook is designed to help users analyse those materials using only the files they upload, reducing the likelihood of responses being influenced by unrelated information from the wider internet.
For instance, students could upload lecture notes and textbooks to generate study guides, while businesses could analyse internal reports or onboarding materials.
Originally introduced as Project Tailwind during Google I/O 2023, NotebookLM was developed as an AI-powered research assistant that allows users to upload their own documents and interact with them through conversational prompts. Unlike general-purpose AI chatbots that primarily draw on information from the web, the tool focuses on helping users understand and work with their own source materials.
According to Google, more than 30 million people and over 600,000 organisations now use the platform for tasks ranging from education and research to employee training and business analysis.
The rebranding to Gemini Notebook also reflects Google’s wider strategy of bringing its AI services under a single Gemini brand. Over the past two years, the company has expanded Gemini across products including Gmail, Google Docs, Workspace, Android and Search, positioning the platform as the centre of its consumer and enterprise AI offerings.