Google renames NotebookLM as Gemini Notebook and adds cloud sandboxes

Google is rebranding NotebookLM as Gemini Notebook, folding the AI research assistant more tightly into its Gemini product line while keeping it available as a separate app. The change matters because Google is turning what began as a document-grounded note-taking tool into a broader workbench for analysis, code execution and cross-product AI workflows.

The company did not announce a funding event, acquisition or revenue figures. The main disclosed number is pricing: the new secure cloud computer capability is initially tied to Ultra, Google’s $100-per-month subscription tier, as well as Workspace enterprise customers with Ultra Access and Expanded Access.

NotebookLM became broadly available in 2023 as a Google Labs project for uploading source material and asking an AI system to organize and reason over it. Google later added formats beyond text, including audio and video overviews, infographics, slide-style outputs and flashcards. The rebrand puts that product under the Gemini name, the brand Google uses for its flagship AI models and consumer-facing assistant interface.

Google moves Notebook closer to Gemini and Search

Google said Gemini Notebook will continue to operate as a standalone application. At the same time, the company is adding it inside the Gemini app and plans to bring its functions into AI Mode in Google Search. That gives Google another surface for document-based research and synthesis, an area where users often move between search, chat, files and productivity tools.

The company also said it is expanding previously announced updates for Pro subscribers, including more agent-like functions and stronger reasoning. Google said the product now uses Gemini 3.5, which it describes as its most capable model series, and Antigravity, its agentic coding platform.

The practical change is that Gemini Notebook can use scripting to process larger source sets, create visualizations and produce more varied outputs, according to Google. The company said the system includes more than 100 curated software skills, though it did not provide a full list of those skills or quantify accuracy gains from the update.

Cloud computers become part of the AI notebook race

Google said each notebook will run on a secure cloud computer, giving the assistant a controlled environment where it can write and execute code for research and analysis tasks. That is a different posture from a pure chat interface: the model can call tools, run scripts and analyze data without pushing those operations onto a user’s local machine.

Access is staggered. Google said the cloud computer feature is rolling out now to Ultra subscribers and eligible Workspace enterprise customers. Pro users on the web are expected to receive access in the coming weeks. The company did not say when, or whether, the capability will be available to free users.

The timing lines up with similar moves from AI search and research companies. Perplexity AI also announced secure cloud computers for its research agents this week, saying the approach can improve speed and efficiency while limiting exposure of sensitive information such as passwords and access tokens.

For Google, the rebrand is less about a new product category than about distribution. Gemini Notebook gives the company a way to connect source-grounded research across Gemini, standalone notebooks and eventually Search, while using paid tiers to control access to the more compute-intensive parts of the workflow.

This story draws on original reporting from SiliconANGLE.