Notion is a strange beast, even for those who use it regularly. The app's bread may once have been database management and a place to store notes, but as we move closer to 2026, it has evolved into something that includes much more.
Last year I celebrated how you can use a number of tools in the free version of the application for setting goals, managing tasks and creating templates. If you want a tutorial on some of the basic things it can do, I'd recommend reading that first.
But Notion can now do so much more thanks to new tools and, of course, artificial intelligence. If you've spent any time working with Notion in the last few years, you might be surprised at what it can help you achieve now.
1. Acceptance of agent
As you might expect, Notion is definitely leaning more towards artificial intelligence than ever before.
While there are a number of AI tools available, such as the ability to create charts from data and ask Notion AI to search your workspace for something you may have referenced months ago, a more recent feature is the Notion Agent.
As the name suggests, this is the company's agent-based AI. Think of it not as having a tool that can find data or analyze what's out there, but rather as having a handy extra pair of hands that can enter data, update pages, and more. You can get a trial of Notion AI on the Free and Plus plans, but for full access to the agent you'll need the Business plan ($20/£16.50 per month, around AU$30 per month). This is what I do.
You can ask your Notion Agent to create a database for almost anything, adding as much information as possible, and it will create it in seconds, explaining what it can do and what steps you might want to take next, which is very convenient.
Not all of Notion's AI-powered features require a subscription (Mail and Calendar, for example, are free), but understanding what Notion Agent can do can be a huge boon to your organization's prospects in 2026. A good place to start is this video introduction to Notion Agent.
2. Meeting management
One of my favorite features added to Notion this year is meeting notes. Real-time transcription is one of the most useful AI tools, but with Notion you can use a backslash followed by “meet” to force it to listen to calls.
It will also work automatically if you want to call and take multiple notes right away, with options for full transcript, summary notes, and AI summary.
It also goes straight into your workspace, so you can send it to your colleagues or instantly turn it into an action plan, all of which is also searchable using Notion AI.
The only downside is that you need the Business Plan ($20/£16.50 per month, around AU$30 per month) to unlock a limited number of AI meeting notes.
3. Organize your email
TL;DR What's new in Notion?
- Notion has a new set of artificial intelligence tools, including connectivity to popular models such as ChatGPT and Google Gemini.
- Notion Mail has joined the standalone Calendar app for managing your email.
- Its enterprise tools are also getting better, meaning you can now search services like Slack for key details.
Last year, Notion added a second app to its main app, Notion Calendar. Since then, this app has gotten better with every update. It's clear, easy to understand at a glance, and finally removes the extra shortcut panel on the side.
It adjusts to time zones and has a built-in scheduling tool, and it also has access to your Notion database so you can update information there without having to go through a separate app.
However, new for 2025 will be Notion Mail. Since it came out, it has also become more useful. Using Notion AI, you can automatically filter your incoming mail, which means it can show documents that require a signature, emails with meeting invitations, and more.
With snippet support, suggested replies, and scheduled sending, it helped me get through my inbox much faster.
Another huge improvement that comes with Notion Agent is that it can connect to a range of non-Notion applications.
This includes development tools such as Jira and Github, as well as storage locations such as iCloud Drive and Box, as well as workspace solutions like Slack, Teams and more. This means your agent can dive deep into almost anything you give them access to.
Ask him to find articles that I have written, as well as drafts from my Google The drive that matches is more useful than you might expect, allowing me to see what's alive and what's not, and more.
If you are already using some kind of AI chatbotyou can also integrate it into your Notion. At the time of writing, it includes Claude Sonnet 4.5, Claude Opus 4.5, Gemini 3 Pro and ChatGPT 5.1 with the caveat that they are in beta testing.
5. Create a task manager
This isn't an AI task (and Notion Agents can't create automations… yet), but you might be surprised at how much you can do by creating your own.
For example, when I log a piece of work as shipped to a client, it is automatically marked as completed on my Kanban board. When I add an invoice date, it is marked as issued, and so on and so forth.
When you bundle it with other services and tools, you can get quite complex. My task manager can enter tasks using an email trigger, so my Notion can send the relevant data from my email to that address, which then populates them into my to-do list with deadline, client name, etc. The only real restrictions are what you can think of.
Follow TechRadar on Google News. And add us as your preferred source to get our expert news, reviews and opinions in your feeds. Be sure to click the “Subscribe” button!
And of course you can also Follow TechRadar on TikTok for news, reviews, unboxing videos and get regular updates from us on whatsapp too much.
