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NotebookLM is too good not to try. Here’s what you need to know.
Uncountable Artificial intelligence tools Available today, LM notebook It remains practically unique. As a Google app that uses AI to help you work with your source material — and only things you give it — it’s basically without peer. Similar tools still lack either functionality, polish, or both, making this Google’s option uneven, at least so far.
NotebookLM is an AI-powered research assistant that lets you ask questions and create outputs from the data you feed it. Unlike a typical AI chatbot, NotebookLM relies entirely on your sources, not random information from the internet or sets of questionable training data.
This use of AI is valuable and needed. For example, last year Matthew McConaughey said on one of the podcasts that he wants Master of Personal Law Which was fed with all his books, notes, and other personal information so that he could ask questions and get answers without any outside influence. This is basically what NotebookLM does.
Google first introduced what was then known as Tailwind project At the I/O developer conference in 2023, describing it as an AI-first laptop. It was able to answer questions based on the documents uploaded to it and automatically create a study guide for the subject. Although impressive in its own right, it’s about as basic as NotebookLM is today.
since then Official release In 2023, Google has given NotebookLM significantly more features, making it one of the best tools for learning and doing more with your data. It can be used in many ways, making it flexible and attractive to anyone who uses it.
What is NotebookLM?
NotebookLM organizes your messy notes and allows you to pull out specific strings of dense information. What makes NotebookLM interesting is what it can do with your source material once it has it.
You can chat with Gemini about the material to get answers. NotebookLM can also turn your resources into unexpected end products. It can give you answers via written text or create something completely new, like audio or… Video overviewsSlide decks, study guides, and more. Depending on your needs and use case, NotebookLM can truly be a full-fledged AI tool.
NotebookLM is nothing without the resources you feed it, and that’s all it takes to work its magic. It treats sources as the only truth and will base all answers and outputs on these sources. He won’t search the Internet for answers. If your sources don’t have an answer to the question you’re asking, they’ll let you know.
For example, you asked “What is 2 + 2?” In a notebook containing some research notes from one of my friends Articles about coding. Her response: “The sources provided do not contain information related to mathematics or the sum of 2 plus 2.”
This is what sets NotebookLM apart from others. You’re intentionally giving the app guardrails so you can better trust the information you’re being sent. Amnesty International He likes to lie to you When he doesn’t have the answer. NotebookLM doesn’t do this, or at least not frequently.
Your sources can be documents, audio files, YouTube videos, web links, and more. Each time you add a new notebook, NotebookLM will reanalyze the entire notebook and provide a summary of the collected sources. This means that NotebookLM is only as good as you feed it. Fill your notebook with bad research material, and you will get bad results.
In its simplest form, you can ask NotebookLM specific questions based on your sources to find answers, which is great if the source material is very dense and you’re trying to retrieve a very specific answer.
For example, let’s say you uploaded an entire eBook for a book report you’re working on for school, along with the notes you took for the class. You can ask NotebookLM to pull themes, main characters’ motivations, and any other information based on your sources. This alone is incredibly useful, but it’s just a small part of what NotebookLM can do.
Who is NotebookLM best for?
NotebookLM is for anyone looking to understand and make better use of their data, so there is no “best” candidate. However, given the sheer number of features aimed at learning, I would be remiss if I didn’t suggest Homework. However, NotebookLM can be used for work, personal and creative purposes and projects, so it doesn’t really make sense to put restrictions on it.
Common uses of NotebookLM
School subjects
Add your class notes, homework for the day, and handouts provided by your teacher, and you have a comprehensive resource with whom you can chat about your topic. With the click of a button, you can create flashcards, audio or video overviews, quizzes, and more to prepare for your next test. Not everyone learns the same way, and NotebookLM allows students to absorb knowledge on their terms through a variety of different deliverables. Flash cards? certainly. Prefer podcasts? You can instantly create something that you can listen to to review your notes.
The podcast-like audio overview feature helped NotebookLM gain popularity. This feature will allow you to create a “deep dive” of your source material with one click, and the output is a comprehensive audio with two AI-powered hosts, both of whom have personality and present the material in an easy-to-understand way. You can also customize what specific topic you want the hosts to talk about. Audio Overviews is one of the best features that NotebookLM has to offer.
Professional work
NotebookLM can be used at work and business as much as it can be used at school, and can come in handy at your next big meeting or presentation. Whether you need to create talking points based on an extensive report or an easy way to visualize that data in the form of a chart or slide deck, it can all be done with the click of a button in the NotebookLM Studio tab.
For example, if a press release or lengthy report is presented, I can put it in NotebookLM and ask the chat to break down the most important aspects of the list using bullets. Then I can create a short overview of the audio, and direct it to do the same thing using only the important information. Finally, I can request a long, in-depth version of the audio overview, so I can dive into all the details if I want. The last step is the most important: always make sure to double-check your sources. NotebookLM is great at delivering the goods, but it doesn’t get a pass for fact-checking.
Creative assistant
For personal and creative endeavours, all NotebookLM devices are at your disposal. Whether you need a writing partner or want to hear your notes, ideas, and memos conveyed to you in the form of an audio overview, this is how you break the rules. Now that NotebookLM Nano banana your Image generatorYou can even make it around some powerful visuals based on your ideas and other work that you want to understand and work on better.
One of my most recent “Let’s See What Happens” project surprises was over the holidays when I called my aunt for a recipe. I recorded the call so I wouldn’t miss anything. Equipped with a short document of notes and a 45-minute call recording, I entered both into NotebookLM as sources to have it create a suitable recipe document, which it did without issue. What surprised me was what happened when I used call recording as the sole source and asked him to create a slide deck.
NotebookLM went to town, creating a long slide deck with a ton of personality. And it wasn’t just a recipe either. NotebookLM took the context of the conversation and incorporated it into the slide deck. She was charming, kind and funny. Titled Aunt Carol’s Gumbo Gospel, she even included one quote from the phone conversation, as if she knew it was perfect. “They’re coming if you get the gumbo, baby.” This is where NotebookLM can shine, in those ‘wildcard’ moments when you’re not expecting much, just to wow you.
One of several Sldie NotebookLM created based on a phone conversation I uploaded as source.
What are the downsides of NotebookLM?
NotebookLM has a lot going for it, but it’s not without its downsides. You’re stuck with Google if you want to use it. It also means you’re stuck using only Gemini as well. Although Google says the information you add to NotebookLM is not used Train its own AI modelsSome people may feel a little apprehensive about using such a tool Just the amount of data Google already has it about you.
However, if you’re already deep into Google services, you’ve probably already evaluated these risks. But for technology experts, there is an alternative called Open the notebook. While it’s not as easy to set up as Access NotebookLM, and can’t match it feature for feature, it’s an overall solid alternative that has privacy at its core.
LM laptop prices
NotebookLM is free to use if you have a Google Account. Most people will probably be satisfied with the capabilities of the free version. Heavy users looking for more resources per notebook and higher access to Gemini usage can subscribe to Google One plan for artificial intelligencewhich offers higher usage limits, priority access to features, and up to 600 sources per notebook compared to the free version’s 50 sources.
Final thoughts
An initially interesting concept, NotebookLM has evolved into such a powerful AI tool that it may be the best product ever released with Gemini support. It’s easy to use, but it will also reward you the more you use it. There’s nothing else like it on the market right now that’s unhindered in one way or another, and receives updates and new features fairly constantly. There’s no wrong way to use it, and whatever feature you want it to have is probably already on the NotebookLM team’s to-do list.