Create a notebook if you only want to know something

You probably have a folder full of documents that you would actually like to get more out of. Reports, a research paper, notes from a project that has been running for months. And perhaps you are already wondering if you should build an agent for that. That question also came up in the Copilot workshop this week. Should I make an agent for that now, or a notebook? Almost everyone mixes that up.

My answer is actually quite simple. If it is purely about unlocking information, then a notebook is more convenient than an agent. An agent is intended to do things for you. A notebook lets you ask questions to a stack of knowledge, and it does not need to do any more than that.

At the bottom of this article is a prompt that you can use to put a notebook about your own organisation to work. Feel free to copy it.

What a notebook actually is

A notebook is a kind of project. You put documents into it, and you ask your questions from that project. In the past you would have made an agent for that. Now you just make a notebook out of it.

Microsoft looked closely at what Google did with NotebookLM for that, which is now called Gemini Notebooks. When I asked in the workshop who knew NotebookLM, not a single hand went up. It is apparently the best kept secret on the internet. And that is while it is one of the handiest tools I know.

In Copilot you find notebooks with your agents. You make a new notebook and add what you want. You can upload documents, and you can also link a folder from OneDrive. You add websites with a link. I looked in the wrong place first in the workshop, because the plus sign to add sources is somewhere else than you would think. Microsoft changes those things sometimes, and then I lose my way for a moment too.

What Copilot and Claude offer you, with notebooks as your second brain.

The more sources, the more interesting

With one document a notebook is not that fascinating yet. Then you might as well open a normal chat. It becomes interesting when you put dozens of documents into it. Then you have a whole body of knowledge, and then you can extract deep insights from it.

After that you can also have it make something. A report for example, or an audio overview, which is actually a short podcast about your sources. You can give it a focus, like the commercial opportunities for you. Unfortunately that podcast in Copilot does not speak Dutch yet. In the Google version it does, and there you can also have a mindmap or slides made.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between a notebook and an agent?

An agent is intended to do things for you, like checking your emails or formatting a document. A notebook collects sources that you ask questions to. If you mainly want to extract insights from a stack of documents, then a notebook is more convenient.

Which sources can I put in a notebook?

In Copilot you can upload documents, link a folder from OneDrive and add websites with a link. With Gemini Notebooks that works in a similar way. It only gets really interesting with dozens of documents.

Do I need a paid licence?

For the Researcher agent in Copilot you need a premium licence. If you do not have one, then you can use the deep research of Gemini, which also works well in the free version. You find notebooks at both Microsoft and Google.

Where can I put this into practice?

In the day workshop Copilot at work you practise with Copilot on your own work. If you want to learn to work more broadly with Copilot, then look at Working smarter with Copilot in M365. You can find the dates at Workshops & Events.

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