In this guide · 8 sections
Short answer
Use Gemini Notebook (formerly NotebookLM) with your Google Workspace work account, not a personal Gmail. Google says Workspace users' uploads and chats are not reviewed by humans or used to train models. Use it for handbooks, manuals and tenders. Keep customer personal data out unless your rules allow it.
What NotebookLM, now Gemini Notebook, does
Google announced the rename on its Workspace Updates blog on 16 July 2026, saying it remains a standalone product and that existing shared notebooks and links redirect automatically. Admins did not need to do anything.
According to Google's Gemini Notebook help, you upload PDFs, websites, YouTube videos, audio files, Google Docs or Slides, then chat with the notebook to get answers grounded in those sources with in-line citations. It can also turn sources into study guides, briefings, audio overviews, mind maps, reports and slide decks.
The difference from a normal chatbot is focus. Gemini Notebook answers from the sources you give it, and every answer points back to the passage it came from. That makes it easier to check, which matters for business use.
Practical uses for a small business
The best uses are ones where the source documents are already yours and do not contain much personal data.
- Staff handbook and SOPs: load your policies and let new hires ask 'what is the leave process?' with a citation to the page;
- Product and service knowledge: supplier manuals, spec sheets and price lists that staff search often;
- Tender and grant research: load the tender documents and ask for requirements, deadlines and evaluation criteria in one list;
- Training with audio overviews: turn a long procedure into a short spoken summary staff can listen to;
- Regulation summaries: load official PDFs, such as PDPC or IRAS guides, and ask questions against them;
- Meeting preparation: load a client's public annual report and website pages before a pitch.
It is not a replacement for a customer-facing chatbot. Notebooks are for your team. For answering customers on your website, see our guide to AI chatbots for websites.
Plans and limits
Gemini Notebook is free with a Google account, with higher limits through Google AI plans or qualifying Google Workspace editions. Google's plans page lists these limits, which it says are subject to change.
| Plan | Notebooks | Sources per notebook | Usage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free (standard) | 100 | 50 | Standard limits |
| Google AI Plus | 200 | 100 | 2x standard |
| Google AI Pro | 500 | 300 | 4x standard |
| Google AI Ultra | 500 | 500 to 600 | 5x or 20x Pro |
| Google Workspace | Depends on edition | Depends on edition | Core service on most Business editions |
Usage is compute-based. Google's usage limits page says the quota refreshes every five hours until you hit a weekly limit. On Google Workspace, Gemini Notebook is a core service on Business Starter, Standard and Plus, so most small businesses on Workspace already have it.
Work account vs personal account: how your data is handled
This is the decision that matters most. Google's privacy page for Gemini Notebook treats the two very differently.
Google Workspace work account
Use this- Google Cloud terms apply as a Workspace core service
- Uploads, queries and responses not reviewed by humans, even with feedback
- Not used to train AI models
- Admin can manage access in the Admin console
Best for: Any business use.
Personal Gmail account
- Google Terms of Service apply
- Content not used to directly train foundational models unless you send feedback
- Thumbs up or down feedback, with related content, can be reviewed by people
- Reviewed feedback kept up to 3 years, disconnected from your account
Best for: Personal learning with public material.
Google also notes that data Gemini Notebook shares with other services, such as the Gemini app, follows those services' own privacy terms. If staff link notebooks into the Gemini app on a personal account, the Gemini app's activity settings apply too.
What not to upload
Even on a work account, a notebook is a copy of your documents in another place. Treat it with the same care as a shared drive folder. Keep these out unless you have a clear reason and approval:
Keep out of notebooks
Google's help also asks users not to upload documents they do not have rights to. For a fuller set of staff rules on AI tools, see our ChatGPT at work policy guide and the summary of the CSA-IMDA advisory on safe generative AI use.
How to set it up for your team
A short setup keeps use safe and useful.
Check it is on in the Admin console
In Google Workspace, Gemini Notebook is a core service on most Business editions. Confirm it is enabled for the right groups.
Decide sharing rules
Limit sharing of notebooks to people inside your organisation unless there is a reason to share outside.
Create a few team notebooks
Start with one for policies and one for product knowledge. Name an owner for each who keeps sources up to date.
Use Drive sources where possible
Google Docs imported from Drive sync automatically, so the notebook stays current when the document changes.
Tell staff the rules
Work account only, no personal data, check the citation before relying on an answer.
If you are deciding between Google's and Microsoft's AI tools more broadly, our Copilot vs Gemini comparison covers the wider picture.
Do it yourself or get help?
If your business already uses Google Workspace, you can start with Gemini Notebook today at no extra cost. The setup work is mostly about sharing rules and making sure staff use their work accounts.
Our Microsoft 365 / Google Security Lockdown (S$590) reviews sharing settings, MFA and admin roles before AI tools can surface the wrong files. If you want customers, not staff, to get answers from your documents, the AI Website Assistant (S$790) builds a chat assistant on your own website content with guard-rails and lead capture.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. Google renamed NotebookLM to Gemini Notebook on 16 July 2026. It is the same standalone product with the same notebooks, and Google said existing shared notebooks and links redirect automatically. It is now also available inside the Gemini app, and Google has said notebooks are coming to AI Mode in Search.
On a Google Workspace work account, Google says your uploads, queries and responses are not reviewed by humans and are not used to train AI models, and Google Cloud terms apply. That is a reasonable basis for internal business documents. Still keep sensitive personal data out unless your data protection rules allow it, and avoid personal Gmail accounts for work.
On the free plan, Google lists up to 100 notebooks and 50 sources per notebook, with each source up to 500,000 words or 200 MB. Google AI Pro raises this to 500 notebooks and 300 sources per notebook. Workspace limits depend on your edition. Google notes these limits can change.
Usually not. Google lists Gemini Notebook as a core service on Workspace Business Starter, Business Standard and Business Plus, among others, so most small businesses already have standard access. Higher limits and extra features need a higher edition or an AI add-on. Check your edition in the Admin console.
Yes. It answers from your sources and shows citations, which reduces made-up answers, but it can still misread a passage, miss context or combine sources incorrectly. Click the citation and read the original passage before relying on an answer for anything important, such as a tender response or a policy decision.