Google Classroom is getting supercharged with powerful, new teacher-led AI tools

While the biggest news out of the ISTE 2025 conference was Google making its “Gemini for Education” experience a free and safe tool for all students, that was just the foundation. Built on top of that platform, Google also announced a whole slate of powerful new AI features and capabilities that are coming to Google Workspace, giving teachers more tools than ever to create dynamic, personalized learning experiences. From custom, teacher-built AI assistants to new video generation tools, here’s a look at the exciting new features coming to a classroom near you.

Teacher-led AI is a game-changer for the classroom

This is perhaps the most exciting new concept Google introduced. Instead of students using a general-purpose AI, teachers will soon be able to create and assign their own custom AI experiences that are grounded in their specific class materials.

• Teacher-led NotebookLM in Classroom: Educators can select their own resources—like class notes, articles, or source documents—and create an interactive NotebookLM study guide for students. This can even generate podcast-style Audio Overviews based on the teacher’s curated materials.
• Teacher-led Gems in Classroom: Taking it a step further, educators can create custom versions of Gemini, called Gems, for their students to interact with. For example, a teacher could create a “homework helper” Gem that is informed by their classroom materials and select information from the web to assist students when they get stuck.

These teacher-led experiences can be assigned directly in Google Classroom, and Google is also working to make them available in other popular learning management systems like PowerSchool Schoology Learning and Canvas by Instructure via Gemini LTI.

Powerful new tricks for your favorite apps

Several existing Workspace apps are also getting some impressive new AI capabilities:

• NotebookLM gets Video Overviews: NotebookLM is already one of the fastest-growing apps in education, and in the coming weeks, it’s getting even better. A new “Video Overviews” feature will let you turn your source materials into an engaging educational video with just the click of a button.
• Gemini will create visuals: To help learners understand complex concepts more easily, Gemini will soon be able to provide visuals, like interactive diagrams, directly in its responses.
• Gems will be shareable: Educators who create their own custom AI expert Gems will be able to share them with other teachers in the coming months.
• Personalized quizzes in Gemini Canvas: Students 18 and over can now generate personalized quizzes on any subject to test their understanding. This will be expanding to students under 18 in the coming weeks.

New tools for paid add-on users

For schools with a paid Google Workspace with Gemini add-on, there are even more powerful tools on the way:

• Veo 3 in Google Vids: Educators can now create 8-second video clips complete with sound effects using Google’s powerful Veo 3 model directly within Google Vids.
• Gemini in Forms: Rolling out now, Gemini in Forms can help create assessments and surveys faster than ever. It can even generate an entire form based on a Doc, Slide deck, or PDF from your Drive and then use Gemini to summarize the form’s responses.

It’s clear that Google is all-in on building practical, powerful, and deeply integrated AI tools for education. By giving teachers the ability to create and direct their own AI experiences, they are empowering educators to personalize learning in ways that simply weren’t possible before. It’s an exciting time for AI in the classroom, and we can’t wait to see how these new tools are used.