Notion AI: Complete Guide to Getting More Done
Notion AI adds artificial intelligence directly into your workspace. Instead of switching between apps, you can write, summarize, brainstorm, and analyze right where you work.
Here’s everything you need to know to use it effectively.
What is Notion AI?
Notion AI is a $10/month add-on that brings AI capabilities into Notion. You can:
- Generate content from scratch
- Edit and improve existing text
- Summarize long documents
- Translate content
- Extract action items
- Brainstorm ideas
It works anywhere in Notion — pages, databases, comments, and inline blocks.
Getting Started
Activating Notion AI
- Open any Notion workspace
- Click the sparkle icon (✨) or type
/ai - You’ll be prompted to start a trial or subscribe
Pricing: $10/month per member (on top of your Notion plan). There’s a free trial with limited AI requests.
Basic Usage
Method 1: Select text → Click “Ask AI” in the menu
Method 2: Type /ai anywhere to open the AI prompt
Method 3: Press Space on an empty line to trigger AI
Core Features & Best Uses
1. Writing Drafts
Ask Notion AI to write first drafts you can refine.
Good prompts:
- “Write a project proposal for [X]”
- “Draft an email to a client about [Y]”
- “Create a meeting agenda for [topic]”
Pro tip: Be specific about format, length, and tone. “Write a friendly, 3-paragraph email apologizing for the shipping delay” works better than “write an email.”
2. Summarizing Content
Perfect for long documents, meeting notes, or research.
Use cases:
- Summarize a lengthy article you’ve pasted
- Create TL;DR versions of meeting notes
- Extract key points from documents
How: Select the text → Ask AI → “Summarize this” or “What are the key points?”
3. Improving Writing
Fix grammar, adjust tone, or make text clearer.
Options:
- “Improve writing” — general polish
- “Fix spelling and grammar”
- “Make shorter” or “Make longer”
- “Change tone to professional/casual/friendly”
- “Simplify language”
4. Extracting Action Items
Turn meeting notes or brainstorms into task lists.
How: Select your notes → Ask AI → “Extract action items”
Notion AI identifies tasks and outputs them as a bulleted list you can convert to to-dos.
5. Translation
Translate text into 15+ languages without leaving Notion.
How: Select text → Ask AI → “Translate to Spanish” (or any language)
Works for individual paragraphs or entire pages.
6. Brainstorming
Generate ideas when you’re stuck.
Good prompts:
- “Give me 10 blog post ideas about [topic]”
- “What are possible solutions for [problem]?”
- “List pros and cons of [decision]”
- “What questions should I consider about [topic]?”
Advanced Workflows
Workflow 1: Meeting Notes → Actions
- Take rough meeting notes
- Select all notes → “Summarize with key decisions”
- Select output → “Extract action items with owners”
- Convert to checkbox tasks
- Drag tasks to your task database
Time saved: 15-20 minutes per meeting
Workflow 2: Research Synthesis
- Paste research from multiple sources into a page
- Ask AI: “What are the common themes across these sources?”
- Ask AI: “What contradictions or gaps exist?”
- Ask AI: “Create an outline for a report on this topic”
Workflow 3: Content Repurposing
Turn one piece of content into multiple formats:
- Start with a detailed blog post
- “Create 5 tweet threads from this article”
- “Write a LinkedIn post summarizing this”
- “Create an email newsletter version”
- “Extract quotes for social media graphics”
Workflow 4: Database Enhancement
Use AI to fill database properties:
- Create a database with a text property
- For each row, use AI to generate content
- Examples:
- “Write a product description for this item”
- “Suggest tags for this article based on the content”
- “Write a follow-up email for this lead”
Best Prompts for Notion AI
For Writing
- “Write a first draft about [topic] in [tone], approximately [length]”
- “Continue writing this in the same style”
- “Add more detail to this section about [specific aspect]”
For Editing
- “Make this more concise without losing key information”
- “Rewrite this for a [audience] audience”
- “Add transitional phrases between these paragraphs”
For Analysis
- “What are the strengths and weaknesses of this plan?”
- “Identify potential risks in this proposal”
- “What’s missing from this document?”
For Creativity
- “Suggest alternative approaches to [problem]”
- “What would [person/persona] think about this?”
- “Play devil’s advocate on this idea”
Limitations to Know
1. Context window Notion AI can only see the content you select or the current page. It can’t access your entire workspace.
2. Knowledge cutoff Like other AI tools, Notion AI’s training data has a cutoff date. It may not know very recent information.
3. Accuracy AI can make things up. Always verify facts, especially for important documents.
4. Usage limits Free trials have limited AI requests. Paid plan is unlimited but throttled for very heavy use.
Is Notion AI Worth $10/Month?
Worth it if you:
- Already use Notion daily
- Write frequently (notes, docs, emails)
- Spend time summarizing or repurposing content
- Prefer one tool over switching between apps
Not worth it if you:
- Rarely use Notion
- Already pay for ChatGPT or Claude
- Don’t do much writing or document work
My take: If you live in Notion, the $10 is well-spent. The convenience of in-context AI outweighs switching to a separate tool. If you only use Notion occasionally, stick with ChatGPT.
Tips for Best Results
- Give context — Tell AI what you’re trying to accomplish, not just what to write
- Iterate — First output is rarely perfect. Ask follow-up questions to refine
- Be specific — “Write a casual 200-word product description highlighting durability” beats “write about this product”
- Use selection wisely — Select only relevant content when asking for summaries or edits
- Combine with templates — Create template pages with AI prompts built in
FAQ
Can I use Notion AI without a Notion subscription? You need at least a free Notion account. AI is an add-on to any Notion plan.
Does Notion AI train on my data? According to Notion, they don’t use your content to train AI models. Enterprise plans have additional privacy controls.
How does Notion AI compare to ChatGPT? ChatGPT is more powerful and flexible. Notion AI is more convenient within Notion. Many users use both.
Can I use Notion AI for code? Basic code generation works, but dedicated tools like GitHub Copilot are better for serious coding.
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