AI & Society | Practice Lab | The Google & NotebookLM Edition
If you’ve attended an AI & Society workshop before, you know we move fast. We’ve demoed high-level concepts like RAG, agents, and vibe coding. Now, it’s time to bring those concepts down to earth and into the tools you use every day.
The Practice Lab is your dedicated space to stop watching and start building. In this session, we are going deep into the Google AI Ecosystem to turn static documents into living knowledge.
### What We’ll Unpack
We are moving beyond simple chatbots. This session focuses on contextual AI—tools that don’t just know the internet, but know your information.
NotebookLM: Create a "source-grounded" AI. Upload your research or notes to create a private brain that answers questions and even generates deep-dive podcasts based only on your data.
Gemini Gems (Custom Agents): Build your own "Gemini Gem"—a specialized agent tailored to your tone and brand. We'll show you how to "indoctrinate" an agent with your values so it writes like you every time.
The AI-Powered Workspace: See how to trigger Gemini inside Google Sheets to organize data or use the Docs Sidepanel to rewrite drafts in your specific voice.
### Beyond the Tech: The AI & Society Approach
We believe AI literacy is built by doing, and our space is designed to be accessible, inclusive, and focused on knowledge sharing.
### What To Bring
Your Laptop: Recommended for the full hands-on experience.
No Laptop? No Problem: You can follow along on your phone, pair up with a neighbor for some collaborative "vibe-checking," or simply take notes. The goal is knowledge sharing, not just technical setup.
A Personal Google Account: To ensure you have full access to Gems and NotebookLM.
Your "Raw Material": Bring a few PDFs, or you can download some on the night, a long document, or a messy spreadsheet you want to work on.
We’ve demoed the future. Now, let’s practice it.