Unit I · Introduction to AI Tools
5. The tools: ChatGPT, Gemini, NotebookLM, AI Studio
This course uses four main tools. All of them are free to start. Make your accounts now.
ChatGPT
Made by: OpenAI. Link: chatgpt.com
ChatGPT is the most famous AI chat tool. You type a question. It answers. You can continue the chat, and it remembers what you said earlier in the same chat.
Good for: writing, explaining, coding, brainstorming, images.
How to start: Go to the link. Sign up with your Gmail. Type in the box at the bottom. Press Enter.
Useful features:
- Click the + button to upload a file or image.
- Use the microphone icon to speak instead of typing.
- Start a new chat for a new topic. Old chats are saved on the left side.
Gemini
Made by: Google. Link: gemini.google.com
Gemini is Google's AI chat tool. It works like ChatGPT. It is built into many Google products: Gmail, Docs, Sheets, Slides and Android phones.
Good for: everything ChatGPT does, plus working with Google Docs, Drive and YouTube. It is strong in Indian languages, including Telugu.
Useful features:
- Gems — you can make your own custom helper with a fixed set of instructions. For example, a "C Lab Helper" Gem.
- Deep Research — Gemini reads many web pages and writes a long report.
- Can look at YouTube videos and summarise them.
- Can make images and short videos.
NotebookLM
Made by: Google. Link: notebooklm.google.com
NotebookLM is different. It does not answer from the internet. It answers only from the documents you upload. These are called sources. You can upload PDFs, Google Docs, websites, YouTube links and audio.
Good for: studying your textbooks and notes. It does not hallucinate much, because every answer points back to your source.
Useful features:
- Ask questions about your uploaded PDF. Every answer shows which page it came from.
- Audio Overview — makes a podcast where two voices discuss your document. Great for revising on the bus.
- Makes a study guide, FAQ, timeline or mind map in one click.
Google AI Studio
Made by: Google. Link: aistudio.google.com
Google AI Studio is for people who want to see how the model works under the hood. It is the developer's view of Gemini. Gemini the app is like a car. AI Studio is like the engine with the bonnet open.
Good for: experimenting, building a small AI app, getting an API key.
Useful features:
- Choose different Gemini models and compare them.
- Set a system instruction. This is a rule the model always follows, like "Always answer in Telugu".
- Change the temperature. Low = more exact. High = more creative.
- The Build section can create a small web app from your description.
- Get a free API key to use Gemini from your own Python program.
Comparing the four
| Tool | Answers from | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| ChatGPT | Its training + web search | General chat, writing, code |
| Gemini | Its training + Google search + your Google apps | General chat, Google Docs, Indian languages |
| NotebookLM | Only your uploaded files | Study, summaries, questions about your notes |
| AI Studio | Gemini models, with your settings | Experiments, building apps, API keys |
Other tools worth knowing
- Claude by Anthropic — very good for writing and coding.
- Microsoft Copilot — built into Windows, Edge and Office.
- Perplexity — an AI search engine with sources.
- Meta AI — inside WhatsApp and Instagram.
Try it
This is Lab experiment 1. Ask the same question in all four tools and compare.
Explain how a lithium-ion battery works, for a first year engineering student. Use simple English. Give 5 bullet points.
- Open ChatGPT, Gemini and AI Studio. Paste the prompt. Save all three answers in a document.
- Open NotebookLM. Add a Wikipedia page about lithium-ion batteries as a source. Ask the same question.
- Which answer was the simplest? Which was the most correct? Which one showed sources?
New words
- Account — your personal login for a website.
- Chat — a conversation; in AI tools, one conversation is saved as one chat.
- Upload — to send a file from your computer to a website.
- Source — a document that an answer comes from.
- Custom — made for one specific purpose.
- System instruction — a rule given to the AI before the chat starts.
- Temperature — a setting that controls how random or creative the AI answers are.
- API key — a secret code that lets your own program use an AI service.
- Under the hood — the inside workings of something (like under the bonnet of a car).