Google lets Gemini Notebook query purchased Play Books titles

Google launched Expert Intelligence as a cross-Google initiative that brings trusted content into Gemini Notebook. The feature lets users add select ebooks bought through Google Play Books, ask questions grounded directly in the book, and generate outputs such as infographics, Audio Overviews and quizzes. The company says every answer is grounded in its sources and includes inline citations that point back to the exact passage. It also says the launch begins with more than 100,000 books from major publishers. Google said the catalogue includes titles from Bloomsbury, De Gruyter Brill, Johns Hopkins University Press, Macmillan Publishers, O’Reilly Media and Penguin Random House. It also said it worked with more than 15 bestselling authors, including Steven Pinker, Michael Pollan and Jennifer Wallace, to create Featured Notebooks that add extra sources and engaging material around their books. The access rules are strict. Users must own the book through Google Play Books before they can use Gemini Notebook’s AI features on it, and if a notebook is shared, other collaborators are prompted to buy their own copy. Otherwise, the book is unavailable within the shared notebook. Google said readers can check whether a title is eligible by opening the book in Google Play Books and looking for Gemini Notebook under the Tools badge on the detail page. The company is also giving away a free ebook to select people in the U.S. while supplies last. The launch comes after NotebookLM was renamed Gemini Notebook on 16 July, a move Google said was meant to place the product within its broader AI family. Google said Expert Intelligence will later expand to more content types, including third-party subscriptions, business research reports and textbooks, and will also surface in the Gemini app and AI Mode in Search.