Google’s AI-powered note-taking app, formerly known as NotebookLM and now embedded in the Gemini ecosystem, has taken a significant leap forward: it can now read the books you’ve purchased on Google Play Books and turn them into interactive learning experiences. The new “Expert Intelligence” feature, announced during a briefing with The Verge, lets users import titles directly into Gemini Notebook, then ask questions about the material, generate study guides, infographics, even AI-narrated podcasts based on the book’s contents.

From Notes to Knowledge: How ‘Expert Intelligence’ Works

Steven Johnson, Google Labs’ editorial director, demonstrated the feature by importing Michael Pollan’s Food Rules and generating a recipe book from its principles. Another example showed how Kim Scott’s management book could be transformed into actionable team-building plans. The tool effectively turns a static text into a dynamic conversational partner, allowing users to probe ideas, summarize chapters, or connect concepts across the entire book.

The feature builds on Google’s existing NotebookLM capabilities, which already allowed users to upload PDFs, Google Docs, and web URLs. What’s new is the integration with Play Books, making it seamless to access a user’s existing library. According to Google, “Expert Intelligence” is designed to retrieve precise information from the book, providing answers with citations to the original text—a crucial feature for students, researchers, and lifelong learners.

The Rise of Audio and the Gemini 3 Backbone

NotebookLM initially gained attention for its “Audio Overviews,” which convert notes and documents into engaging podcast-style discussions. As The Independent reported, this feature “took off” and became a viral hit, propelling the app into mainstream consciousness. Now, with the underlying Gemini 3 AI model, Google has upgraded the app’s smarts, enabling more complex reasoning and multi-step tasks. The Gemini 3 updates, announced separately on Google’s blog, bring “upgraded smarts and new capabilities” to the Gemini app, including better contextual understanding and more natural language generation.

This convergence of note-taking, book reading, and AI generation reflects a broader trend: reading is no longer a passive activity. Instead, AI assistants are becoming intellectual companions that can analyze, synthesize, and even challenge the material. As one industry analyst noted, “The boundary between consuming content and conversing with it is dissolving.”

Competition: Kindle’s ‘Ask This Book’ and the Future of E-Readers

Google is not alone in this space. Amazon’s Kindle app has introduced a similar feature called “Ask this book,” which allows readers to dive into the lore of a title using AI. While details are still emerging, the feature is seen as a direct competitor to Google’s Play Books integration. Meanwhile, dedicated ebook reader apps for smartphones and tablets are proliferating, as PCMag noted in its roundup of free ebook reader apps—but none currently offer the deep AI integration that Google and Amazon are now rolling out.

This raises a key question, posed by Good e-Reader: “Do readers want Google Play Books to integrate AI?” Some readers may welcome the ability to ask questions and get instant clarifications while reading a dense non-fiction book. Others may worry about over-reliance on AI, distraction from the text, or the potential for misinterpretation. Google’s approach, however, is transparency: the AI cites passages directly, allowing users to verify the original context.

Expert Perspectives: The Promise and Peril of AI in Reading

The broader implications of AI in reading tools have drawn commentary from tech leaders. Bill Gates, in an essay on the risks of artificial intelligence (which was briefly inaccessible via a 403 error on his blog, highlighting the often chaotic nature of web content), argued that the risks of AI are real but manageable. He emphasized the importance of human oversight and ethical frameworks. In the context of book analysis, the same principle applies: AI can augment human comprehension, but it should not replace critical thinking.

Google’s Johnson sees the feature as a way to “democratize expertise.” Instead of relying on a teacher, tutor, or CliffNotes, readers can now engage directly with a book’s ideas in a Socratic manner. The feature also supports generating study plans, which could be a game-changer for students. For instance, a medical student could import a textbook and ask the AI to create a spaced-repetition schedule or summarize complex disease pathways.

What This Means for the Future of Publishing

The integration of AI into ebook platforms has significant implications for publishers and authors. If readers can interactively query a book, the value proposition shifts from buying a static text to owning a knowledge base. Publishers may need to think about how to structure content for AI retrieval, and authors might begin writing with AI compatibility in mind. The move also strengthens Google’s ecosystem: Gemini Notebook becomes a more compelling reason to buy books on Play Books rather than a competitor’s platform.

However, not all coverage is uniformly positive. The Verge’s report focuses on the technical capabilities, while Good e-Reader questions user appetite. This divergence in framing is typical of emerging technology coverage: early adopters are excited, but the mass market may be skeptical. The real test will be user engagement—whether people actually use the feature beyond a novelty, and whether it enhances their reading experience or complicates it.

How to Access the Feature

The “Expert Intelligence” feature is rolling out to Gemini Notebook users in the coming weeks. To use it, users must have a Google Play Books account and an active Gemini subscription. After linking the accounts, users can select a book from their library and add it to a notebook. The AI will then index the book’s content, enabling real-time Q&A and content generation. Google has indicated that the feature will initially support English-language titles, with more languages to follow.

Conclusion: Reading as a Conversation

The intersection of AI and books is more than a technological novelty—it’s a philosophical shift. By allowing readers to converse with books, Google is treating knowledge as something to be actively engaged with, not just consumed. Whether you’re a student cramming for an exam, a researcher mining for insights, or a casual reader curious about a better way to cook, the new “Expert Intelligence” feature offers a promising glimpse into the future of reading. As Gates might put it, the risks are real but manageable, and the potential benefits are enormous.

“The ability to ask a book a question and get a cited answer is transformative. It changes the relationship between reader and text.” — Steven Johnson, Google Labs

As this technology matures, it will likely become a standard feature across e-reading platforms. The challenge for Google—and its competitors—will be to ensure that the AI serves as a tool for empowerment, not substitution. For now, the era of the interactive book has officially begun.