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Google’s AI note-taking tool, NotebookLM, can now create an eerily realistic podcast that explains your source material.
The newly launched Audio Overview experiment has two AI-generated hosts talk to each other about your sources in a natural-sounding “deep dive.” They can summarize content, draw links between topics, and engage in typical podcast conversations complete with “ums” and “likes.”
Very impressed with this new NotebookLM feature by Google Labs that turns notes/docs into podcasts
I uploaded this morning's newsletter, and it turned into a two-way podcast between two AI agent hosts
Give it a listen, pretty darn good (sound on 🔈) https://t.co/ovci9DXxOM pic.twitter.com/7CGHHwDxeg
— Rowan Cheung (@rowancheung) September 12, 2024
Google cautions that the overviews aren’t “comprehensive or objective,” and instead just reflect what your sources say. They’re meant to give you the gist without having to read the documents. You can even download an Audio Overview to listen during your commute.
There are caveats. You might need “several minutes” to generate audio for particularly large notebooks. The AI hosts only speak English and are prone to inaccuracies — listen to Google’s sample, and you’ll hear it say “I S” instead of “is” at one point.
The tech giant introduced NotebookLM as a way to make long, complex material easier to digest. The Gemini-powered platform backs up its assertions with citations and quotes.
To some degree, NotebookLM and Audio Overview are extensions of the summary features you find in numerous AI products, including Apple Intelligence and Gemini for Android. However, they hint at a future where AI can take over not just note writing, but also certain strictly informative podcasts. Content creators could theoretically focus on creativity instead of simply recapping a subject.
