Notion AI
The beginning of mainstream, useful AI
If you are connected in any way to the tech community, either by working in it or paying attention to it, you have heard a lot of talk about AI (artificial intelligence) lately. People and organizations are throwing around terms like OpenAI and GPT-3, and Google and Apple are building hardware dedicated to machine learning processing. Is it time for a computer to take over or is this just another slight technology shift?
I’d lean more toward the latter, but do plan on seeing AI moving forward very quickly in the coming years. Not because machines are going to take over, but because AI is going to augment our lives in exciting ways. There have been a lot of really interesting implementations of this, and while I will touch on those, the main focus of this letter will be on Notion’s version of AI and why I think this can be a seismic moment.
Firstly, some terminology.
Most people know that AI is artificial intelligence, but most people think that a machine can think when they read this. While this has always been the sci-fi goal, this is not what AI is now. AI is simply a computer technology that has been programmed by an algorithm (a set of instructions and calculations) to accomplish a task. People provide data sets and endpoints to continuously reference new data to keep the data set ever evolving. When you pair this with modern, powerful processing abilities, both on your device and on a server, it outputs amazing things.
You’ve also likely heard the terms OpenAI and GPT-3 thrown about. OpenAI is a company and GPT-3 is a product of theirs. They also own DALL•E. OpenAI is not open source, but it is open access. This means that you have to pay for use of their APIs, but almost anyone can use them. Currently, GPT-3 is to output text or code from natural language. While DALL•E is used to output images from natural language.
Notion just announced that they will be launching their own natural language AI. They have not explicitly mentioned that it is powered off of OpenAI’s GPT-3, though, it would make sense. This will be built into Notion as an AI Assistant, focused on helping you write. It is currently in alpha and there is a waitlist, as most new technology fads are.
So, what can Notion AI do? It can take a simple, natural prompt from you and help you write. It can generate ideas, finish your sentences or paragraphs, it can even write full blog posts or sales emails. Simply use the slash command or page prompt and it guides you through the rest. There are also options to summarize your writing, fix spelling and grammar, and translate your text.
While this is not a review or anything of the sort, I can say this, it’s pretty amazing. I have access to the beta, due to being a Notion Ambassador and Notion Consultant, so I didn’t have to wait long. I am not sure of the cost yet, but there will likely be one since accessing OpenAI’s GPT-3 is costly. I am not going to be talking about the accuracy or consistency much, as it is in alpha, but I’ve had some really good experiences. What I can say, is that this is a dream come true. This is what the computer was built for.
The computer was designed to augment our capabilities. While it has done this, it has not delivered close to what the early dreamers hoped for. Ada Lovelace, Douglas Engelbart, Alan Kay, and Steve Jobs painted a world where computers do the mundane for us, so we can do the important. This is one of the first real steps towards that.
While there have been companies building with OpenAI’s tech for a while now, this feels like a major shift. Firstly, because it is Notion. They are on track to be the next Microsoft, but not sterile and boring. Notion balances both business and personal so nicely, that people want to use their product to make things. Secondly, they outright mention it as Notion AI and make it a top item on the creation of a new page. This means that people are more aware of it and will lean on it as a first option, not as an afterthought.
As someone that is confirmed dyslexic and possibly ADHD, I find this so interesting.
I use Notion a lot. I consult with people and businesses, about how to use Notion to improve their digital operations. I also use it to manage those projects, as well as some pieces of my personal life.
I find myself questioning everything I write, due to the fact that it looks correct to me, but often, it is not. In a less technological past, I have had to go back to my writing, hours to days later, to spot my issues – as a way to trick my brain. In more recent years I have depended a lot on Grammarly and LanguageTool. My wife even edits these newsletters.
But now, Notion AI can help me with my grammar and spelling. This allows me to focus on the story or documentation. It also allows me to turn around writing faster, due to not depending on tricking my brain, depending on tools, or taking up people’s time.
I also find it super interesting for ADHD, as it can jump-start the writing process and keep it going if one falls off track. Being able to generate prompts and complete paragraphs just feels so invaluable. This feels like such an essential missing piece of computing. I am not saying to use the generated writing in its entirety, but using it as inspiration or a jumping-off point is perfect.
This brings me to a question:
Does AI interest you? More specifically, can you see AI augmenting your life in a positive way?
As you can tell, I'm excited to see this evolve. Mainly, for its utility. Freeing up mental space for real thought, the thought only a human, unhindered by limitations can achieve. Notion feels like the right venue for AI to take shape, in a digital, content-first world. Their implementation might seem simple, but the applications of it are pretty vast. I am looking at it through my lens, simply augmenting neurodiversity, but there are so many other applications for it. I am excited to see where Notion takes this in the coming months and years.
Thomas Frank has a great video, demoing some use cases for Notion AI:
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