Gemini 101
People who have never opened Gemini, or only know it as the button in Gmail
Prerequisites: None. A laptop, a Google Account, and a Chrome or Workspace login if your organisation has one. Module 101 (AI at Work 101) is useful background, not required.
Last verified 2026-09-17
Learning objectives
By the end, participants can:
- Explain what Gemini is and what it is not, in one sentence each
- Name the surfaces (the web app at gemini.google.com, the Android and iOS apps, the Mac and Windows desktop apps, Gemini in Chrome, and the Ask Gemini side panel inside Workspace apps) and say which one to open for a given task
- Choose between the plans (Free, Google AI Plus, Google AI Pro, Google AI Ultra) for their own use and say what would change their mind
- Use the model picker (Flash-Lite, Flash and Pro (currently 3.6 Flash and 3.1 Pro in the model picker)) deliberately rather than by default
- Write a first useful prompt, iterate on the answer, and check it
- Recognise the three beginner traps: confidence, agreement, and the long chat
What's in this module
7 lessons · 5 exercises · ~8 min reading
Starts withWhat Gemini actually is~1 minExecutive summary
You will learn what Gemini is, where it lives (the app, the desktop apps, Chrome, and the side panel inside Workspace), what the plans buy you, and how to get a first useful result out of it. End state is Gemini set up on your own machine, the right surface chosen for the work you actually do, and one real task completed and checked. After this module you can pick a plan, tell the surfaces apart, choose a model in the picker without guessing, write a first useful prompt, iterate on it, and recognise the three habits that cause most beginner frustration.
Sources
- Gemini, "Google AI Pro and Ultra", the current plan lineup and UK prices, which is the page in this module most likely to have moved since it was written: https://gemini.google/gb/subscriptions/?hl=en-GB
- Gemini Apps Help, "Gemini Apps limits and upgrades for Google AI subscribers", how usage limits work, the model tiers, and the context window per plan: https://support.google.com/gemini/answer/16275805?hl=en
- Gemini Apps Help, "Use Gemini Apps", the authoritative list of surfaces and account requirements: https://support.google.com/gemini/answer/13275745?hl=en&co=GENIE.Platform%3DDesktop
- Gemini Apps Help, "Gemini Apps Privacy Hub", the honest answer to the data-training question, by account type: https://support.google.com/gemini/answer/13594961?hl=en
- Gemini, "Gemini for desktop", the Windows and Mac apps and their shortcut: https://gemini.google/desktop/
- Gemini Apps Help, "Use Gemini in Chrome", what the Chrome surface can see: https://support.google.com/gemini/answer/16283624?hl=en
Prefer the live room?
This module also runs inside our in-person bootcamps and workshops in Copenhagen.
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