Google's Gemini Notebook, the AI research tool that turns your sources into reports, slideshows, quizzes, and podcast-style audio overviews, has added a new type of source to its repertoire: Google Play Books. Yes, now you can feed your purchased ebooks into the AI and have it do the heavy lifting of analysis and summarization. Because why read when you can delegate?
This new capability works with books you've purchased from the Google Play store, though only certain titles, authors, and publishers are supported at launch. The list is already impressive, with 100,000 titles from publishers like Bloomsbury, De Gruyter Brill, Johns Hopkins University Press, Macmillan Publishers, O'Reilly Media, and Penguin Random House. So, basically, a small library of pre-approved reading material.
Google has also partnered with more than 15 bestselling authors to create special 'featured notebooks' that you can view and use by signing in to your Gemini Notebook page. These notebooks supplement the supported titles with additional sources and interesting details, letting you explore the authors' work without even cracking a spine. It's like a book club, but the AI does all the talking.
This integration with Google Play Books is the first step in Google's new 'Expert Intelligence' initiative, which aims to help you better understand your favorite books, authors, and subjects - and incorporate them into larger research projects. In the near term, Google plans to expand beyond Play Books to support third-party subscriptions and textbooks. So, your future research projects just got a lot more bookish.
"We've built the ability to add select ebooks you've purchased from Google Play Books directly to a Gemini Notebook," Google said in its blog post. "This makes it simple for you to ask questions about the book and receive responses grounded directly in that book. You can also use Gemini Notebook to help you understand books in new ways, for example, by generating Infographics, Audio Overviews, Quizzes, or more from the book."
But here's a catch: since you need to own a book to add it to a notebook, what happens when you share that notebook with someone else? The book won't be available to them. Instead, they'll be prompted to buy their own copy to view and work with the content. So, sharing is caring, but only if you also share your credit card.
If you're not ready to commit to purchasing a book, you can try the featured notebooks without spending a dime. At your Gemini Notebook page, check out the featured notebooks at the top, click 'View All' to see more, and select one that intrigues you. You can then explore the book and its subject matter by asking questions or adding them to a new notebook.
Now, how do you know if a book is supported before you buy it? Google offers a few ways. First, head to Google's Expert Intelligence page and scroll to the bottom. In the section for 'Get started with an Expert Intelligence-eligible book,' there's a carousel of supported titles. Click on one that interests you to purchase it.
Second, you can score one free book to kick off your collection. At the bottom of the same Expert Intelligence page, there's a limited-time offer for 'Get your first book on us.' Click the Redeem offer button, and at the Google Play store, click Continue, choose your free title among the listed books, and follow the steps to add it. Free stuff! Well, sort of.
Third, you're supposed to be able to tell whether a book is eligible on its page in Google Play Books. Select a title, click the question mark on the Tools icon, and if the book is supported, you should see Gemini Notebook listed. However, in my testing, this didn't work. Clicking on the Tools icon for several books that I know are supported didn't display any entry for Gemini Notebook. Perhaps Google is still updating Play Books with this information. Or perhaps the feature is as elusive as a quiet library.
Fourth, you can tell if a book is eligible through Gemini Notebook itself. Sign in to your Gemini Notebook page, create a new notebook or open an existing one, click the link to add a source, select Play Books, and then click the button to explore Google Play Books. Scroll to the bottom of the next page and select the image to find more books to add. Then browse the resulting page for compatible titles. It's a bit of a treasure hunt, but at least the treasure is books.
After you've bought some eligible books, go back to your Gemini Notebook page. Create a new notebook to explore or incorporate one or more of your purchased books. At the sidebar, click the link to add a source, select Play Books, and supported books will appear at the top of the screen (unsupported ones below). Choose a book, click to add it as a source, and then you can ask questions or incorporate it into your research.
I gave it a whirl and added a few books to my Gemini notebooks. Here's what happened.
First, I added F. Scott Fitzgerald's classic 'The Great Gatsby' to a new notebook. Gemini provided a summary and suggested some questions. I asked about the relationship between Nick Carraway and Jordan Baker - why the initial attraction, and why it falls apart. The AI served up an interesting analysis of the two characters' interaction. So, if you've ever wondered about Nick's taste in women, Gemini has you covered.
Next, I told Gemini to create a report based on its breakdown of the book. I could choose the format: document, study guide, blog post, landscape analysis, narrative primer, or thematic guide. I chose the narrative primer, and the AI delivered a report examining the motivations, social status, and outcomes of all the characters. It's like CliffsNotes, but with more AI.
Then I decided to explore the works of Charles Dickens. I added seven books to a new notebook, including Great Expectations, A Tale of Two Cities, Oliver Twist, The Pickwick Papers, and A Christmas Carol. I asked the AI to highlight common themes in Dickens' work. Gemini described themes like the cruelty and absurdity of incarceration and the legal system, the vulnerability and resilience of childhood and orphans, and institutional hypocrisy and perverted morality. So, the usual Dickensian cheer.
I then asked it to generate an audio podcast (aka an audio overview) focusing on those common themes. The conversation between the two AI hosts proved interesting and insightful, drawing on material from all seven books. It's like listening to a literary podcast, except the hosts are algorithms.
Finally, I explored the topic of how we work with and relate to AI. I added 7 online sources, Word documents of several articles I'd written about AI, and a Google Play book I'd purchased: 'Co-Intelligence: Living and Working with AI' by Ethan Mollick. After Gemini created a summary, I asked it to explain the benefits and risks of emotional bonds with AI. It succinctly and perceptively described the pros and cons of forming emotional attachments to AI. So, if you've ever felt a pang of affection for your chatbot, Gemini can tell you why that's both good and bad.
I also asked it to create an audio overview focusing on the Mollick book, and the two AI hosts discussed the subject with an emphasis on the book, including passages and quotes from it. Overall, I enjoyed exploring specific books, authors, and topics through Gemini Notebook. With the sources I added, I was able not only to research different themes but also to see them in a new light. And best of all, I didn't have to read a single page of Dickens.