Google is retiring the NotebookLM name, and the AI research tool is being rebranded to Gemini Notebook, folding one of the company’s most useful products deeper into its main AI brand. Alongside the rebrand, Google is expanding one of the tool’s most powerful features to more users, which was previously limited to those on the Google AI Ultra plan.
The upgrade Pro users have been waiting on
NotebookLM picked up a major update last month, with Google giving every notebook a dedicated cloud computing environment capable of writing and running code against a user’s uploaded material. It also moved the tool onto a new reasoning engine and added support for generating a wider range of outputs, including PDFs, spreadsheets, slide decks, and data visualizations. But the update only reached Google AI Ultra subscribers and select Workspace business accounts.
With the Gemini Notebook rebrand, Google is now expanding that update to more users, with those on the Google AI Pro plan set to receive it on the web version over the coming weeks. Google hasn’t said when these capabilities will reach users on the free tier, if at all.
Gemini Notebook will show up in more places too
The new name isn’t the only way Google is integrating NotebookLM into the Gemini ecosystem. Back in April, the company expanded notebook access to the main Gemini app, letting users easily pull saved research and sources directly into a chat. Now, Google plans to make notebooks accessible through AI Mode in Search, though it hasn’t shared a timeline for when that will ship.
From its debut at I/O 2023 as Project Tailwind, NotebookLM has evolved into something Google now treats as part of its core AI lineup. The Gemini Notebook rebrand is the visible part of that shift. The real change is how deeply Google is now weaving it into the rest of its products, from the Gemini app to Search.
