LearnLM is a family of generative AI models specifically designed for education. Built on Google's Gemini language model, LearnLM aims to support more engaging, personalized, and effective learning experiences.

Features: LearnLM powers various features across Google products, such as YouTube, Gemini apps, Search, and Classroom. In Google Search, it enables users to simplify or break down complex topics presented in AI Overviews. it also allows users to ask clarifying questions while watching YoutTube videos.

LearnLM is also behind Circle to Search on Android, which helps solve math and physics problems. Google emphasizes that LearnLM is "grounded in educational research," incorporating learning science principles to enhance its tutoring capabilities.

Tom’s Take: LearnLM is promising but has made limited impact to date. One isssue is that features are not universally available or not fully rolled out. The model has also been shown to struggle with accurately identifying when students answer practice questions correctly. Like other AI, LearnLM suffers from the common issue of "hallucinations," generating incorrect information, which is a significant concern for educational applications.

Price: Free

NotebookLM is an AI-powered research tool that enables users to interact with their notes in innovative ways.

Features: NotebookLM allows users to upload various sources, such as Google Docs, PDFs, websites, and even YouTube videos, and then ask questions, generate summaries, outlines, study guides, and even brainstorm ideas.

NotebookLM analyzes the uploaded content and becomes a "personalized AI expert" on the information. The tool also offers Audio Overviews, which turn sources into podcast-style discussions with AI-generated hosts.

Tom’s Take: NotebookLM is great for analyzing a collection of sources and for aksing questions and brainstorming. Yet, despite its innovative features, NotebookLM has limitations. Users can only add a limited number of sources per notebook, and it lacks integration with other note-taking apps.

Additionally, it currently cannot display images or mathematical equations. Concerns about data privacy also arise, as users upload personal documents for analysis. Although Google assures users that uploaded data is not used for training, reservations persist.

Price: Free

Illuminate is an experimental tool that transforms research papers into engaging audio conversations.

Features: Using two AI-generated voices, Illuminate creates a podcast-style discussion that summarizes key insights from uploaded papers.

Users can ask follow-up questions about the generated audio. Notably, the tool is lauded for its realistic voice quality, surpassing other similar tools in the market.

Tom’s Take: Illuminate is a highly convenient and accessible form of learning from research papers through this audio. And its audio voices sound strkingly real.

That said, It is currently only available through a waitlist, restricting access for educators and students interested in utilizing this promising tool.

Additionally, Illuminate is only available in English, limiting its usefulness for non-English speakers and language learning purposes.

Price: Free

Learning Coach is a pre-made Google "Gem," a specialized chatbot acting as a subject-matter expert within the Google Gemini AI system.

Features: Users can interact with Learning Coach conversationally to get step-by-step study guidance and participate in helpful practice activities like quizzes and games. It is powered by LearnLM, a family of AI models specifically developed by Google for educational purposes.

Learning Coach purports to be a supportive tool that encourages deeper learning rather than simply providing answers. It prompts students to think through problems by asking questions and offering tips. Additionally, users can create their own "Gems" from text prompts

Tom’s Take: Learning Coach GEM is promising but it’s too early to know if it will consistently identify when students answer practice questions correctlyAlso, some advanced features, including the ability to customize Learning Coach, is limited to paid subscribers of Gemini Advanced, potentially creating disparities in opportunities.

Price: Limited to paid subscribers of Gemini Advanced

Read Along in the Classroom is a Goolge tool that helps students build independent reading skills and get real-time support with AI.

Features: Educators can assign reading activities for individual studentsbased on Lexile measure, grade level, or phonics skills, with over 800 books available. The tool provides insights on reading accuracy, speed, and comprehension, and Google is piloting the ability to generate personalized stories.

Read Along in the Classroom is available globally in English, with additional support available in Spanish. Additional languages are being added.

Tom’s Take: The number of languages incorporated appears to be growing quickly, and that encouraging. Hopefully, the library will also grow to reflect the cultural and contextual diversity needed for global classrooms.

Yet, there are questions about whether Read Along in the Classroom can assist nuanced language comprehension and the ability to address complex reading challenges. Finally, Read Along is in beta and its unknown to what extnt Google will improve and extend its abilites.

Price: Free

Circle to Search is an AI-powered feature that allows users on Android devices to search for information related to content displayed on their phone screens.

Features: Users can circle, highlight, or tap any text or image on their screen to initiate a search query. For instance, a student could circle a math problem on their screen and receive step-by-step explanations without revealing the answer. This feature, powered by Gemini, aims to make learning more accessible and engaging by providing targeted assistance.

Circle to Search also integrates with AI Overviews, a feature that generates summaries of information from the web. Users can opt-in to this feature in Search Labs to enable AI-generated summaries above their traditional search results

Tom’s Take: Circle to Search is easy, convenient, and useful. It is currently available on Android devices, but is not yet available on iOS.

That said, Google plans to expand Circle to Search beyond Samsung and Pixel phones and add an “app drawer,” signalling a more intuitive way to access apps within the Circle to Search interface.

Price: Free

Gemini 1.5 is Google's most powerful AI model and is being integrated into various Google Workspace for Education apps, including Docs, Sheets, Slides, Drive, Gmail, and Google Classroom.

Gemini 1.5 can be used for various tasks, such as generating text, creating images, summarizing content, and answering questions.

Note: Gemini 1.5 is available through paid add-ons for Google Workspace for Education, and access to its features depends on the specific edition of Workspace your institution uses.

Duet AI is an AI-powered assistant that is integrated into Google Workspace for Education apps.

Duet AI can help teachers with tasks such as creating slideshows, drafting lesson plans, writing emails, and generating quiz questions.

Duet AI for Google Workspace has been generally available since August 2023.

Note: While Duet AI provides teaching opportunities, it is not currently available to students through Google Education.

Practice Sets is an AI-powered feature in Google Classroom that allows educators to design interactive exercises and quizzes. The AI can automatically generate answers and hints for these exercises, making it easier for teachers to create engaging content and provide students with immediate feedback.

Practice Sets supports over 50 languages, and educators can add images to practice problems and easily convert Google Forms into Practice Sets.

Note: Many advanced AI features require paid subscriptions or are available only in specific regions.

"Help Me Write" is an AI-powered feature integrated designed to assist users in generating, refining, and editing written content into Google Workspace products such as Gmail and Google Docs.

Help Me Write can draft emails, summarize documents, and provide polished revisions based on user input or prompts. In Google Docs, the feature assists with creating outlines, generating paragraphs, or rephrasing text to enhance clarity and coherence.

Users can request formal, concise, or casual revisions, tailoring the output to specific audiences or purposes. The tool integrates seamlessly into the Workspace interface, providing suggestions and edits directly within the document or email window. "Help Me Write" includes advanced capabilities such as summarizing lengthy content and generating creative ideas, useful for both for both personal and professional communication.

Note: "Help me write" is available to users subscribed to the Google One AI Premium plan or those with the Gemini add-on for Google Workspace. It is currently available in select languages and may require a subscription to access its full range of features.

Google is leveraging AI to make it faster and easier for educators to create interactive YouTube assignments in Google Classroom.

This feature allows teachers to add open-ended or multiple-choice questions to YouTube videos at specific points. Additionally, teachers can access a dashboard to gain insights into student performance and identify areas where additional support might be needed.

YouTube is also introducing a conversational AI tool that allows viewers to "raise their hand" during educational videos to ask clarifying questions, receive explanations, or take quizzes. The conversational AI can also summarize the video or explain its importance.

Initially launched as an experiment, the feature is now rolling out to select Android users in the U.S. These advancements leverage AI to personalize the learning experience on YouTube, making educational content more interactive and accessible.

Note: Availability might depend on the edition of Google Workspace for Education (e.g., Standard or Plus editions) or additional paid add-ons.

"Take Notes for Me" is an AI-powered feature in Google Meet that automatically transcribes and summarizes meetings, allowing participants to focus on discussions rather than manual note-taking.

The notes are compiled into a Google Docs file, saved to the organizer's Google Drive, and attached to the corresponding Google Calendar event for access by participants.

As of yet, there is no mention in official materials of extensive customization options for the note-taking feature, such as setting keywords or summary formats, like bullet points.

Note: This feature is available to Google Workspace customers who subscribe to specific plans or add-ons, including Gemini Enterprise, Gemini Education Premium, or the AI Meetings & Messaging add-on.