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Gemini Notebook Now Lets You Reference Books, Turn Them Into Different Formats (digitaltrends.com) 17

Google is adding an "Expert Intelligence" feature to Gemini Notebook (formerly known as NotebookLM) that lets users cite and work directly from more than 100,000 books they own through Google Play Books. Those books can be used as sources for things like quizzes, infographics, and Audio Overviews. Digital Trends reports: For now, Google is offering one free book to users in the US as part of the launch campaign, with a caveat -- "while supplies last." At the moment, Expert Intelligence is only available in the Gemini Notebook app and its web dashboard, but down the road, Google says that it will also appear within the core Gemini app and AI mode in Search.

The broad idea behind expert intelligence is to combine what you can already do with Gemini, and expertise sourced from your favorite books. So, if you're asking Gemini to create a meal plan that is based entirely on chicken and spinach, you can ask the AI assistant to look for relevant recipes in one of Martha Stewart's cookbooks that you own. You can use these books as a source and turn them into Infographics, Audio Overviews, and Quizzes, among other formats.
Google has partnered with select authors on Featured Notebooks that provide extra insights and context beyond their books. It's also worth noting that access is still tied to book ownership, so anyone using a shared Gemini notebook must own or purchase the book to fully use the feature.
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Gemini Notebook Now Lets You Reference Books, Turn Them Into Different Formats

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  • by necro81 ( 917438 ) on Friday August 28, 2026 @08:03AM (#66310948) Journal
    Question for the wider audience: who actually owns a book purchased from Google Play? Anyone? More than 3 people?

    (I ought to say "owns" because, as we all know, what you are getting is a revocable license to certain content.)
    • ...as we all know, what you are getting is a revocable license to certain content.

      When the human library goes fully digital, what we are getting is a portal to Edit Hell.

      And I'm not just talking about the challenges Wikipedia editors might have. I'm talking about the AI entity with read/write access who wakes up one millisecond with a sponsored instruction set to modify our classic works.

      And when I say classic works, I mean that legal case being searched in real-time to prove precedent and innocence, that has been edited by the highest bidder. And that's just when you replace the paral

      • by zlives ( 2009072 )

        newspeak on steroids

        • newspeak on steroids

          Illegal gambling..the kind that bookies are still in Federal prison for, is about ready to become a spectacularly speculative stock ticker. No? Bet you can Kalshit bet on it. Ask the 16-year old gamer feeding a gambling addiction already.

          The worlds oldest profession, is but an OnlyFans sponsor away from becoming a actual fucking stock ticker. Again, let's lay those Fuckduel odds down on the bed and spread 'em wide as to how many countries will be jealous of the bigger GSP (Gross Simp Product) she told yo

      • Sometimes I feel like we're playing chicken with the alien with this AI stuff. Stepping closer and closer to a car vs pedestrian disaster where we aren't the guy in the car. And we're not the one making the choice to jump in front of that car either.

  • Why do we need this? (Score:5, Interesting)

    by pla ( 258480 ) on Friday August 28, 2026 @09:28AM (#66311116) Journal
    There is no country on Earth where you're required to own works you cite from. It may be all but impossible to access some content without paying, but once you've seen it - including unlawfully* - you can reference it to your heart's content and there's not a damned thing the author or publisher can do about it.

    Google is clearly trying to firewall off their own issues with mass copyright infringement during AI training by passing the buck to the end user. Not happenin', guys! If this rent-seeking scheme actually works in any form, it will just make Gemini everyone's absolute last choice for literature review.

    * Yes, there are of course exceptions like classified material and trade secrets, but that's not what Google is talking about here.
  • You do NOT own anything through Google Play Books

    • Same as Sony and XBox's digital stores, your online movie library, and anything you post to social media. Don't worry... wouldn't surprise me if someday soon, all home computers were those little thin clients that PXE boot from MS's Win12 server (and, you have too lease the thin client from MS themselves).
      Although the button says "Buy", all you really get is a longish-term DRMed rental (and, in the case of books from the article, who knows if the textbook you look at today will say the same thing tomorrow,

  • by Koreantoast ( 527520 ) on Friday August 28, 2026 @12:10PM (#66311416)
    The announcement itself is innocuous: Gemini Notebook is basically allowing its users to seamlessly load their already purchased books into their tool. If you haven't used it, Notebook let's you upload various materials into it for analysis, quick referencing, etc. This is just making it easier for those who bought books through Google Play. What I would be concerned however if this is a first step by Google to lock down Notebook. Will they later incorporate copyright protections so you can't just upload those PDF versions of your textbook or reference material into Notebook because it's licensing can't be confirmed? Could this be used to block out third party services who failed to pay Google... err... whose copyright can't be confirmed by Google, thus forcing you to use their play store or "approved" third parties?
  • not helpful for me until I can upload my collection of comics and D&D PDF files to access from my ipad.

Tomorrow's computers some time next month. -- DEC

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