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Lesson 2 of 14 · Reading

Welcome: Gemini at work, the ADAPT way

In this lesson you'll

Describe where Gemini appears in Google Workspace and what it can see
Explain how sharing permissions and admin settings shape Gemini's answers
Apply ADAPT to decide whether a task is a good fit for Gemini

Welcome

Welcome to Gemini in Google Workspace from the Enterprise Technology Association (ETA). Gemini is Google's AI assistant. In Workspace it shows up in three main places:

Inside the apps: "Help me write" in Gmail and Docs, the Gemini side panel in Gmail, Docs, Sheets, Slides and Drive, and note-taking in Meet.
The Gemini app (gemini.google.com): a chat assistant for drafting, research, analysis and longer tasks, with features such as Deep Research and Gems.
NotebookLM: a research notebook that answers only from the sources you add to it.

This course assumes you've completed Level 1: Foundations of the ETA Certified AI Empowered Professional.

The ETA ADAPT framework

Step 1: Assess
Is this a good task for AI, and what's at stake?
Step 2: Direct
Brief the AI clearly: goal, context, constraints, done criteria.
Step 3: Assure
Check the output before you rely on it.
Step 4: Protect
Keep people, data and your organization safe.
Step 5: Tune
Iterate, then save what works for next time.

Use the steps in order on every task, and loop back to Tune when results fall short.

What Gemini can see

In Workspace, Gemini works with your content and your permissions. In the side panel of a document it can use that document, and when you ask it can look across other files and emails you can open. It can't see files you don't have access to.

That cuts both ways. If a folder is shared with "anyone in the organization" when it shouldn't be, Gemini can surface it in an answer to anyone. Good sharing hygiene in Drive is now an AI safety step.

Admins set the boundaries

Workspace admins can turn the Gemini app, NotebookLM, meeting notes and other features on or off, and apply data protection rules such as labels and data loss prevention. Google states that Workspace data protections apply to Gemini in Workspace and that your organization's content isn't used to train its models outside your organization. Check your organization's settings and AI policy for what's on and what data is OK.

What never goes into an AI tool

Never, in any AI tool

Passwords, access codes, security keys and other credentials

Keep out of any tool your organization hasn't approved for it

Personal information
Social Security numbers, birth dates, home addresses, personal phone numbers
Health information
Diagnoses, medical leave details, patient records
Financial account details
Bank and card numbers, individual pay records
Student records
Grades, discipline and other student information
Confidential business and client information
Unreleased results, pricing, contracts, legal matters, anything under a confidentiality agreement

Some organizations approve specific tools for some of this data. That decision belongs to your organization, not to you. If you're unsure, treat it as off-limits and ask. You rarely need real details: redact, substitute or generalize.

Workplace example: a workforce development board

Tanya runs operations at a regional workforce board. Gemini is on for staff, but NotebookLM is off pending a policy review. When a colleague asked Gemini to "find everything about the youth program," the side panel pulled in an old spreadsheet with participant birthdates that had been shared too widely. Tanya fixed the sharing, reported it as the policy required, and added a monthly check of folders shared with the whole organization.

Try it

Open a non-sensitive Google Doc you own and the Gemini side panel. Ask:

Summarize this document in 5 bullets for a new team member.
Then list which files or emails, other than this document, you used. If none, say "none."

Check whether it used anything you didn't expect. No Workspace with Gemini? Run the same request in your organization's approved assistant with a pasted, non-sensitive document.

Key takeaways

Gemini appears inside Workspace apps, in the Gemini app and in NotebookLM.
It uses your content and permissions, so oversharing in Drive becomes oversharing in answers.
Admin settings and your AI policy decide which features and data are allowed.