Google expands access to Gemini in Education, debuts Workspace Studio at Bett 2026

Google is widening access to its Gemini-powered tools in education, saying select AI capabilities in Google Workspace will reach more educators and eligible students at no additional cost, alongside a new toolset called Google Workspace Studio.

As part of the rollout, Google will add specific Gemini features to its core Google Workspace for Education editions, with availability varying by tier. The company said Education Fundamentals users will get Gemini in Gmail to help draft emails, suggest replies and summarise lengthy threads.

Education Plus and the Teaching and Learning add-on will gain Gemini in Docs, Slides, Forms, Vids and Sheets, bringing AI writing, image generation, automated form creation and response summaries, video creation from prompts or slides, and AI-assisted analysis in spreadsheets.

• Education Fundamentals: Gemini in Gmail for Help Me Write, Suggested Replies and AI Overviews for email threads
• Education Plus and Teaching and Learning add-on: Gemini in Docs, Slides, Forms, Vids and Sheets

Google noted that these updates begin rolling out in the coming weeks to users aged 18 years and above, with Gemini in Gmail and Gemini in Sheets arriving in the coming months. Administrators will also get more granular controls to enable or restrict access app by app, allowing institutions to phase adoption based on policy and readiness.

Premium tier remains for faculty and staff

While widening no-cost access to select features, Google emphasised that its AI Pro for Education add-on remains the company’s premier offering for faculty and staff. The plan provides expanded access to premium models and capabilities in Gemini for Education and NotebookLM, including Deep Research, plus deeper integrations across Meet, Drive and other Workspace apps. Google added that AI Pro will have priority access to upcoming features such as AI inbox, Proofread and the ability to query inboxes with AI Overviews in Gmail.

Workspace Studio debuts across editions

Google also introduced Workspace Studio, described as the new home for designing, managing and sharing AI agents. The company said Workspace Studio, which is rolling out as a core service across all Google Workspace for Education editions, harnesses the advanced reasoning of Gemini 3 and lets users create bespoke agents without code. Early use cases cited by Google include an agent that prepares meeting summaries and key deadlines in Chat, another that auto-saves email attachments to Drive while logging entries in Sheets, and a triage agent that extracts tasks and due dates from admin email.

How can schools access the new Gemini features

Institutions on Education Fundamentals, Education Plus or the Teaching and Learning add-on will see the new Gemini capabilities as they roll out, subject to age eligibility. Admins can switch features on or off at a per-app level, which allows phased deployment by department or role. Staff who need advanced functionality can opt for the AI Pro for Education add-on to unlock premium models and deeper integrations. According to Google, Gemini in Gmail and Sheets will follow later in the rollout schedule.

The Bett announcements form part of a broader push to embed AI across Google’s education stack, with related updates to Classroom, SAT preparation resources within Gemini and new security features for institutions. Analysts said the expanded access, combined with admin controls, could lower adoption friction for schools while keeping pathways open for power users to graduate to premium capabilities.