Google on Tuesday announced five new AI-powered learning features in Search, including interactive concept simulations, free practice quizzes built with test-prep companies, and a homework-help experience powered by Lens. The tools, outlined in a company blog post by Distinguished Product Manager Awaneesh Verma, arrive ahead of the new school year and are rolling out globally in English across AI Overviews and AI Mode, Google’s conversational search experience.

The first feature lets Search generate custom interactive visuals and simulations. Searching a term such as “pH scale” produces an interactive visual in an AI Overview, and follow-up requests in AI Mode — for example, plotting citrus fruits on the pH scale — create a tailored experience. Google said these generative UI capabilities have launched globally in English in AI Mode and are starting to roll out in AI Overviews.

The second addition, practice quizzes, is now globally available in English at no charge in both AI Overviews and AI Mode. Quizzes cover subjects from science and math to humanities and foreign languages, and can be tailored to standardized tests including the SAT, ACT, AP, GRE, LSAT, MCAT, JEE, NEET, and Brazil’s ENEM. Google said the quizzes draw on content from partnerships with test-prep companies The Princeton Review, Careers360, PhysicsWallah, and Akira Enem. Each quiz includes explanations for answers and links for further study.

The remaining features include a Lens-based tutoring experience rolling out globally in English over the coming weeks, which lets users photograph a problem in the Google app and receive an AI Overview that pinpoints mistakes and offers coaching; notebooks in AI Mode, which bring Gemini Notebook (formerly NotebookLM) into Search with syncing across Google products, rolling out over the coming days in more than 180 countries; and custom file creation, which generates study documents such as one-pagers from uploaded photos of handwritten notes or lecture slides. Custom file creation has already rolled out globally in English in AI Mode, initially supporting documents, slide presentations, spreadsheets, and text files.

Why Students and Educators Will Notice

The announcement signals Google’s continued push to make Search a study destination rather than just an entry point to other websites. Free, exam-specific practice quizzes could compete directly with paid test-prep services, and the partnerships with established providers like The Princeton Review are an effort to ground AI-generated questions in authoritative material — a response to ongoing concerns about AI tools producing inaccurate educational content.

The Lens tutoring feature also takes aim at existing homework-help apps by offering step-by-step error detection and coaching inside a tool students already use. Bringing notebooks into AI Mode consolidates study materials — slides, syllabi, web articles, and past AI conversations — in one place, positioning Search as a workspace rather than a query box. Google said the education tools are “built to be safe by design.”

Search’s Steady AI Expansion

Google has spent more than two years integrating generative AI into Search, beginning with AI Overviews and expanding into AI Mode, a chat-style interface that supports follow-up questions and file uploads. NotebookLM, rebranded as Gemini Notebook, has become one of Google’s most widely used learning tools, letting users build notebooks around uploaded sources and query them.

The new features connect those threads: AI Mode gains the notebook functionality and file-creation abilities, while AI Overviews gain generative visuals and quizzes. The timing follows Google’s established pattern of releasing education-focused updates ahead of the northern hemisphere school year, part of its broader Back to School 2026 collection of tools for students and educators.

“Thanks to our partnership with leading education companies The Princeton Review, Careers360, PhysicsWallah, and Akira Enem, these quizzes tap into trusted, authoritative content from test-prep experts.”

— Google blog post

Rollout Gaps and Accuracy Questions

Availability is staggered and incomplete. The Lens learning experience will arrive “over the coming weeks”, so it is not yet live for most users. Custom file creation is currently limited to AI Mode, with AI Overviews support described only as coming “soon.” Notebook support beyond English is expected “in the weeks ahead” but no specific languages or dates were given.

Google did not detail how quiz content from its partners is vetted, how the company measures the accuracy of AI-generated explanations in the Lens experience, or what safeguards exist for younger users. Google describes generative AI as experimental, and past AI Overviews have drawn criticism for errors. The company has not said whether any of the free features will remain free indefinitely.

Watching the Coming Weeks

Users can expect the Lens homework-help experience to roll out globally in English in the coming weeks, and local-language notebook support in AI Mode to follow. Custom file creation is set to expand to AI Overviews, and Google indicated more file formats are planned.

Google is expected to continue its Back to School 2026 announcements with additional tools for students and educators. How widely the new features get adopted — and whether partner-backed quizzes hold up against traditional test-prep materials — will become clearer as the school year gets underway.

Key Questions

Are the new practice quizzes free?

Yes. According to Google, practice quizzes are globally available in English free of charge in both AI Overviews and AI Mode. Google has not said whether they will remain free long-term.

Which standardized tests can the quizzes help with?

Google lists ACT, AP, ENEM, GRE, JEE, LSAT, MCAT, NEET, and SAT as supported exams, with quiz content sourced through partnerships with The Princeton Review, Careers360, PhysicsWallah, and Akira Enem.

When will the Lens homework-help feature be available?

The new Lens learning experience — which analyzes a photo of a problem, pinpoints mistakes, and offers coaching — is rolling out globally in English over the coming weeks, according to Google’s announcement.

Do existing NotebookLM notebooks carry over?

Yes. Google said notebooks from Gemini Notebook (formerly NotebookLM) or the Gemini app will appear automatically in Search, with sources and instructions syncing across Google products.

What can the custom file creation feature do?

Users can combine uploaded files, such as photos of handwritten notes and lecture slides, or past AI Mode threads, and ask Search to produce ready-to-use documents like a one-page study summary. It currently supports documents, slide presentations, spreadsheets, and text files, and is available in AI Mode globally in English.

Source: Google AI