G’day. AI keeps showing up in our inboxes, quotes, schoolwork and business tools. Here’s what’s useful right now, without the noise.

In today’s briefing:

🎓Google opens Gemini to school students of all ages

💰Australia’s growing AI bill and the push for local options

🏢NSW sets clearer rules for data centres

🛠️A free tool that turns your own documents into answers

💡 One prompt that makes AI rewrite clearer for clients or kids

The NSW government has released guidelines that let data-centre builders get faster planning assessment if they meet strict standards on energy, water, noise and community contributions. Projects must commit to new renewable energy (including a wind share) and cover their own extra costs so households are not left paying.

Why it matters for you: Data centres power the AI tools many of us now use daily. Clearer state rules aim to protect power and water bills while still allowing the infrastructure that keeps AI services running in Australia.

Sources: 7NEWS | The Guardian

The Daily Rundown: Google has expanded Gemini inside Google Classroom so K-12 and higher-education students of every age can use it (where their school has switched it on). Students can create flashcards, practice quizzes and study guides from the actual materials their teacher has uploaded. The mobile version is rolling out around now. Schools stay in control of access, and Google says the chats are not used to train its models.

Practical takeaway: If your kids or students use Google Classroom (common in many Australian schools), they may soon see a Gemini tab. It’s a chance to talk about using AI as a study helper rather than a shortcut — ask them to show you what the tool produces from their own class notes.

Sources: Google Workspace Updates | The Verge

The Daily Rundown: Assistant Minister Andrew Charlton is expected to tell an ANU audience today that Australian households and businesses are already spending an estimated $5–8 billion a year on AI, most of it going overseas. Without more local options, that figure could reach $40 billion annually within a decade. The government is also exploring ways to make big AI companies share some of their computing capacity with Australian start-ups.

Practical takeaway: For tradies, small businesses and office workers, this is a reminder that free tiers and lower-cost tools matter. Keep an eye on Australian alternatives and free daily limits before jumping into paid subscriptions that send money offshore.

Sources: news.com.au | AFR

 Upload your own PDFs, notes or reports and ask questions in plain English. It answers only from the files you give it and shows the source passages. Free to use for everyday research, study, quoting or turning long documents into simple summaries. Ideal for parents helping with homework, small-business owners reviewing contracts, or anyone who wants answers grounded in their own material rather than the open web.

https://notebooklm.google/

When you need AI to rewrite something so a non-expert can understand it, be specific about the audience and the outcome.

Ready-to-use example: “Rewrite this quote for a customer who is not technical. Keep every fact accurate, use short sentences, and end with one clear next step they should take.”

Paste the original text after the prompt. Works well for invoices, job explanations, school notes or product descriptions.

The tool spotlight above is basically a course preview: How to Use NotebookLM to Learn Anything takes that same "answers grounded in your own files" idea and turns it into a real workflow — mapping a topic, curating sources, and getting study guides or briefings out the other end, not just quick answers. And with today's story on Australian AI spend heading toward $40 billion a year, Where to Start with AI Without Guessing is the antidote to jumping straight into a paid subscription: pick one real task, test it on the free tier first, and only pay once you know it's worth it. Both are in the AI Foundations track at Vortex Academy.