Google Gemini & NotebookLM
Google Gemini and NotebookLM Are Now Available for Faculty, Staff, and Students
Google Gemini
Google Gemini is a generative AI chat application available to all Holy Family University faculty, staff, and students. In alignment with our commitment to critical discernment and ethical integration, Gemini serves as a tool for educational enhancement that can assist with creating content, brainstorming ideas, drafting and summarizing writing, exploring complex topics, and supporting research and creative work. The platform allows integration with Google Workspace services within the Gemini web application, fostering knowledge co-creation while maintaining our foundational values.
Access Gemini through the web application or via mobile app (Android and iOS). As part of our framework for AI literacy, we encourage thoughtful application of this tool through the lens of Catholic social teaching and ethical principles.
Google NotebookLM
Google NotebookLM is an AI-powered research and note-taking assistant available to all Holy Family University faculty, staff, and students. Utilizing Google's Gemini models, NotebookLM enables users to upload sources such as documents, PDFs, and Google Docs, then interact with these materials through summaries, questions, audio overviews, and AI-assisted exploration. This tool exemplifies our commitment to information integrity and verification, proving especially valuable for synthesizing large amounts of information across uploaded materials while supporting our tradition of reasoned inquiry.
NotebookLM is accessible through the web or via mobile app (Android and iOS). Consistent with our Catholic Intellectual Tradition, we encourage users to engage with this technology while maintaining critical thinking and analytical skills that preserve the irreplaceable value of human insight and wisdom. For comprehensive information about AI tools and our institutional framework, visit our AI at Holy Family page.
Interested in Trying AI? Below are Models to Start With
Feature | Gemini | ChatGPT | Claude | M365 Copilot Chat |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Access | gemini.google.com; Mobile App; via Workspace | chat.openai.com; Mobile App; API | claude.ai; Mobile App; API | copilot.microsoft.com; M365 Apps (Teams, etc.) |
Free Tier Available? | Yes (Std models, limits) | Yes (GPT-4o mini, limits) | Yes (Claude 3.5 Sonnet, limits) | Yes (for M365 users w/ Entra ID; GPT-4o, limits) |
Paid Tiers | Advanced ($20/mo via Google One); Edu/Enterprise (Workspace Add-on) | Plus ($20/mo); Team ($25/user/mo+); Enterprise; Edu | Pro ($20/mo); Max ($100/mo+); Enterprise; Edu | Pro ($20/mo, personal); M365 Copilot ($30/user/mo via license); PAYG Agents |
Core Function | General Chatbot, Creative Tasks, Workspace Aid | General Chatbot, Creative Tasks, Coding | General Chatbot, Long Text Analysis, Safety Focus | Workspace Aid, General Chatbot, Org Data Access |
Underlying Models (Examples) | Gemini family (2.0 Flash, 2.5 Pro) | GPT family (4o mini, 4o, 4.1, o3-mini) | Claude family (3.5 Haiku, 3.7 Sonnet) | GPT-4o |
Real-time Internet Access? | Yes (via Google Search) | Yes (Web Browse) | Yes (Web Search - Rolling out) | Yes (via Bing Search) |
Cites Sources in Output? | Sometimes (via extensions/Search) | Sometimes (if Browse) | Sometimes (if Browse - rolling out) | Sometimes (if Browse) |
File Upload? | Yes (Advanced: Sheets, PDF, code etc.) | Yes (Images, Docs, Data files) | Yes (PDF, text, images) | Yes (via M365 context or direct upload) |
Context Window (Approx.) | Up to 1-2M tokens (Advanced/Pro) | ~128K tokens (GPT-4o) | 200K tokens (Claude 3 series) | Varies (GPT-4o: ~128K) |
API Available? | Yes (Google AI Studio/Vertex AI) | Yes (OpenAI Platform) | Yes (Anthropic API) | Limited (via Power Platform/Graph) |
Academic Reliability | Moderate; Hallucinates; Verify outputs | Moderate; Hallucinates/fakes citations; Verify | Moderate; Hallucinates; Safety focus; Verify | Moderate; Grounded in M365 data helps but verify |
Data Use for Training (Consumer/Free) | Yes (unless opted-out/Edu account) | Yes (unless opted-out) | No (Anthropic policy) | N/A (Requires Entra ID - uses Edu/Ent policy) |
Data Use for Training (Edu/Enterprise) | No (Workspace for Edu) | No (ChatGPT Edu/Ent) | No (Enterprise/Edu likely) | No (M365) |
FERPA Compliant (Edu/Enterprise Tier?) | Yes (via Workspace for Edu) | Yes (ChatGPT Edu) | Unconfirmed | Yes (with caveats re: web search) |
IP Ownership (Output) | User owns (subject to law, Google ToS) | User owns (subject to law, OpenAI ToS) | User owns (subject to law, Anthropic ToS) | User owns (MS Copyright Commitment) |
Accessibility (Summary) | Aims for WCAG; Reported screen reader issues | Aims for WCAG; Reported navigation/label issues | Aims for WCAG; Generally usable; Web accessibility issues noted | Leverages M365; Good but specific issues reported |
Key HE Integrations | Google Workspace; LMS (LTI) | API allows many; Zotero plugins; LMS (via API) | API allows many; Zotero plugins (emerging) | M365 Suite (Teams); LMS (LTI) |
AI Apps to Help with Research and Studying
Feature | NotebookLM | Perplexity AI |
|---|---|---|
Access | notebooklm.google.com; via Workspace | perplexity.ai; Mobile App; API (pplx-api) |
Free Tier Available? | Yes (limits) | Yes (Std models, limits on Pro Search/uploads) |
Paid Tiers | Plus (via Google One/Workspace) | Pro ($20/mo or $200/yr) |
Core Function | Source-Grounded Analysis & Note-taking | Conversational Search Engine, Research Assistant |
Underlying Models (Examples) | Gemini family (Specific model unconfirmed) | Proprietary; GPT-4o, Claude 3.7, Gemini 2.5 (Pro) |
Real-time Internet Access? | No (Uses uploaded sources only) | Yes (Core Feature) |
Cites Sources in Output? | Yes (from uploaded sources) | Yes (Core Feature) |
File Upload? | Yes (PDF, Docs, Slides, Text, URL, Audio) | Yes (PDF, text, code, images; limits vary) |
Context Window (Approx.) | ~500K words/source (effectively large) | Varies by model (GPT-4o: ~128K) |
API Available? | No Public API | Yes (pplx-api) |
Academic Reliability | High if sources are reliable; Source-grounded | High for finding sources; Synthesis needs verify |
Data Use for Training (Consumer/Free) | No (Consumer feedback may be reviewed) | Unclear/Not Explicitly Stated |
Data Use for Training (Edu/Enterprise) | No (Workspace) | N/A (Enterprise plans may exist) |
FERPA Compliant (Edu/Enterprise Tier?) | Yes (via Workspace for Edu) | N/A |
IP Ownership (Output) | User owns (subject to law, Google ToS) | User owns (subject to law, Perplexity ToS) |
Accessibility (Summary) | Aims for WCAG; Audio features good; Interface issues reported | Poor; Reported issues with WCAG conformance |
Key HE Integrations | Google Drive | Cloud Storage (Drive/OneDrive); API |