Just a couple of days ago, I wrote about how I wish NotebookLM were easier to pair with other tools. In that piece, I focused on how difficult it is pairing NotebookLM with third-party (non-Google) tools. However, the same point also extends to Google's own ecosystem.

While Google's AI chatbot, Gemini, integrates with other Google tools like Keep, Calendar, Gmail, and more (and it works the other way around too), NotebookLM barely connects with anything else. If you want NotebookLM to work with any tool, you need to jump through multiple hoops and do everything manually. Well, it looks like that's about to change — at least for Gemini users.

Users are spotting NotebookLM integration in Gemini

Users on Reddit and X (formerly Twitter) have begun spotting that Google is rolling out a NotebookLM integration for Gemini. @SaiNemani1 on X noticed this feature in Gemini and shared that you can add notebooks from NotebookLM directly into the Gemini chat.

In another image they shared, it appears a NotebookLM option pops up when you tap the plus (+) icon while in a Gemini thread, alongside the other options: Upload files, Add from Drive, Photos, and Import code.

In another image, they uploaded a NotebookLM notebook that seems to be focused on past examination papers from Cambridge IGCSE Biology (a UK-based examination board). They uploaded the notebook to a Gemini thread and then asked: what are the most frequently asked questions from chapter 1 of the syllabus based on the past papers provided. Gemini then responded with an answer based on the content of the notebook.

Naturally, a question you might have is: can't you already do this with NotebookLM on its own? That was the first question I had too! With this integration, it seems like you will be able to add multiple notebooks and then query them all at once. NotebookLM currently offers no way to "merge" notebooks, so this integration will effectively let Gemini act as a bridge.

You'll also be able to pull in insights from the web while interacting with the content within your NotebookLM notebook (in Gemini), effectively letting you combine your own information with information from across the web. This is something I've been doing by pairing NotebookLM with AI browsers (which comes with an AI chatbot built into the side panel).

If this were the other way around, I'd be complaining about how this could lead to hallucinations, which defeats NotebookLM's entire source-grounded approach. However, given that Google seems to be adding NotebookLM to Gemini rather than adding bloat to Gemini itself, it looks like they’re keeping the NotebookLM data grounded while giving users a more seamless, cross-tool experience.

While there seems to be no official word from Google about this capability just yet, some NotebookLM and Gemini users already appear to be getting access to it. So, it's safe to assume that the integration is in a gradual rollout phase, and more users should be able to try it in the coming days or weeks.