Notion AI Beta: A Hands-On Look

Notion has long been a favourite among productivity enthusiasts, and its AI layer — rolled out progressively to beta users — promises to supercharge the already-capable workspace. But does it live up to the hype? After spending several weeks with the beta, here's our honest assessment.

What Is Notion AI?

Notion AI is an integrated artificial intelligence assistant built directly into the Notion workspace. Rather than switching between tools, users can invoke AI directly inside pages, databases, and documents to draft content, summarise notes, translate text, and generate action items from meeting transcripts.

Key Features in Beta

  • AI Writer: Generate first drafts, blog posts, emails, or meeting agendas from a simple prompt.
  • Summarise: Condense long pages or documents into concise bullet points.
  • Action Items: Pull tasks automatically from unstructured meeting notes.
  • Translate: Instantly translate selected text into a range of languages.
  • Fix & Improve: Grammar correction and tone adjustments on selected text.

Performance & Stability

As expected from a beta product, stability is uneven. Response times vary — on a fast connection, AI responses arrive within two to four seconds, but during peak hours latency can stretch noticeably. We experienced occasional generation failures (a blank response or a truncated output) roughly once every fifteen to twenty requests.

The quality of generated content is generally solid for short-form tasks. Longer drafts sometimes lose coherence mid-way through, requiring manual cleanup. Summaries are reliably accurate, making them the standout feature of the current beta.

What Works Well

  • Seamless in-page integration — no context switching needed.
  • Meeting note summarisation is genuinely time-saving.
  • The "Improve Writing" function consistently elevates clarity.

What Needs Work

  • Long-form content generation can lose focus after ~400 words.
  • No offline support — entirely dependent on an active connection.
  • Beta pricing adds to an already subscription-heavy product.

Who Should Try It?

If you're a heavy Notion user who regularly creates documentation, meeting notes, or knowledge bases, the AI layer offers a meaningful productivity boost even in its current beta state. Casual users may find the additional cost hard to justify until the feature matures further.

Verdict

Notion AI's beta shows real promise. The core summarisation and writing-assistance features work well enough today to be genuinely useful. Power users willing to tolerate occasional rough edges will find it a worthwhile early adoption — just keep a critical eye on longer AI-generated outputs.

Beta Score: 7.5 / 10 — Promising, with room to grow.