At Pixar Animation Studios, they use a process called “Braintrust”—a group of their best storytellers and directors who come together to critique and brainstorm ideas openly. This process has helped refine raw ideas into blockbuster hits like Toy Story and Inside Out.
But what if you don’t have a “Braintrust” to help shape your ideas? This is where technology steps in. Google’s NotebookLM is designed to be your AI-powered brainstorming assistant. So, what is it? What does NotebookLM do?
I decided to test it out, and I found some cool things. Buckle up!
- What is NotebookLM by Google?
- Core Features of NotebookLM
- NotebookLM Availability & How to Get Started
- Real-World Use Cases for NotebookLM
- How I Used NotebookLM
- Why I like NotebookLM?
Listen to this article. AI audio created with NotebookLM
What is NotebookLM by Google?
NotebookLM is an experimental product of Google Labs that focuses on improving how we interact with notes and documents. It uses AI to help users extract, summarize, and work with content more efficiently. Instead of just storing information, NotebookLM allows users to engage with their notes more meaningfully, making it easier to find critical points or get a concise document overview. It’s designed for anyone looking to streamline their note-taking and analysis process.
Core Features of NotebookLM
I’ve experimented a bit with NotebookLM, and here are some key features that I found:
Document Upload & Interaction
The tool’s first core feature is the ability to upload PDF, .txt, Markdown, and audio files. I decided to upload our blog post to test it out.
As soon as the upload was done, I got all these options to choose from. I could create audio versions or chat further to get what I want.
Users can also upload audio files to get transcripts or understand a summary of what is being discussed in the audio. I like that it gives me multiple suggestions. You can upload your file and then chat to get an analysis or a summary.
In addition to uploading files, you can add sources from your Google Drive (Docs and Slides), or point to websites, a Youtube video, or paste your copied text.
AI-Generated Audio Feature
NotebookLM allows you to create an audio conversation about your files. This is probably one of the most talked-about features in the AI space.
The AI-generated audio feature goes beyond simply converting text into audio. What sets it apart is its ability to create a podcast-style conversation between two AI-generated voices discussing the content from the uploaded documents.
This makes it feel more dynamic and engaging than traditional single-voice narration. It’s a game-changer for people who want to absorb information more interactively, making it easier to follow along and understand key points.
Search and Summarization Tools
NotebookLM comes with search and summarization tools that use AI to create quick summaries and highlight key points from your documents. Instead of reading through long files, the AI helps you find the important details right away.
This can be really helpful for students who need to pick out key facts for study, content creators looking for quick ideas, or professionals working with lots of documents. It makes it easier to get the information you need without wasting time.
Manual Note Creation
While the main use case is uploading your own sources and working on them with the help of AI, NotebookLM also allows for manual note creation, similar to other note-taking apps like Google Keep, Notion or Obsidian.
Users can create and organize notes independently, providing flexibility to jot down thoughts, ideas, or important information. This feature works alongside the document interaction tools, offering both traditional and AI-enhanced note management in one place.
Collaboration
With NotebookLM, I can share Notebooks with others just like sharing files on Google Drive. This makes it easy for my team to collaborate, allowing us to work together with AI support right inside the tool. It’s a great way for us to co-create, share insights, and get things done efficiently.
NotebookLM Availability & How to Get Started
NotebookLM is currently in its experimental phase and is available through Google Labs. While it’s still being tested and improved, users can already sign up to explore its features and provide feedback.
To access NotebookLM, you’ll need:
- A Google account
- A supported web browser (Chrome works best)
How to sign up and get started:
- Visit the Google Labs page where NotebookLM is hosted.
- Sign in using your Google account.
- Follow the prompts to request access to the experimental tool.
- Once approved, you can start uploading documents, creating notes, and experimenting with its AI-powered features.
Since it’s still a work in progress, new features and improvements are rolled out regularly, so keep an eye on updates from Google Labs.
Here are a few ideas to get you started:
- Productivity: Upload you existing notes from whatever notes app you use and have a chat about it
- Students: Upload your learning material and use NotebookLM as your tutor
- Creators: Upload your researched content material and generated ideas for content creation
- Brainstorming: Upload project docs to generate discussion points and fresh ideas collaboratively
- Meeting Prep: Upload your agenda to get suggested discussion points and anticipate questions
Real-World Use Cases for NotebookLM
From what I’ve seen, while NotebookLM can be useful for just about anyone, it really shines for certain groups. Specifically, it’s a standout tool for:
For Content Creators
NotebookLM is incredibly useful for content creators who are constantly working with large amounts of information. Whether it’s blog posts, articles, or any form of written content, the tool helps streamline the process of organizing, summarizing, and repurposing information.
For example, I uploaded a post from our blog and asked the tool, “Could you give me some key topics of this post out of which I can make social media posts?” Instantly, the AI pulled out the main ideas, saving me time and making it easier to repurpose the content for social media. Moreover, I can also save the response as a note.
For Students and Academics
NotebookLM is also a great tool for students and academics. It can analyze academic papers, break down complex research, and generate clear, concise summaries that save time during study sessions. Generated replies include links to the exact spot in the uploaded source.
For example, I uploaded a research paper and the tool to provide a summary or highlight the key findings. The detailed list of highlights is excellent, especially with its clear separation between key findings and key numbers. This structure is incredibly useful for students—whether they need to focus on the numerical data or the specific findings. By organizing the information this way, it not only saves time but also enhances productivity, allowing students to extract exactly what they need quickly.
For Professionals
NotebookLM is a helpful tool for professionals managing large volumes of information. It can assist with tasks like analyzing reports, generating executive summaries, or transforming lengthy documents into more digestible formats, such as audio or concise bullet points.
For example, I uploaded Tesla’s annual report and asked, “Can you do a report analysis for Tesla based on their 2023 annual report?” The tool quickly pulled out key insights and provided a comprehensive analysis, saving me hours of manually going through the document. It’s a practical solution for professionals needing quick, clear information access.
How I Used NotebookLM
I decided to test NotebookLM’s ability to handle real-world tasks. I started by uploading the article “How to Create a Website with AI” to NotebookLM.
The first thing I tried was asking it to create an audio podcast version of the article “How to build websites with AI“. What impressed me was how it generated a conversational podcast, with two AI voices discussing the content in a way that felt engaging and easy to follow. The result was far beyond just reading the text aloud—it felt dynamic, something I haven’t seen other products do this well.
Listen to an example: This podcast audio was generated with NotebookLM.
Next, I asked NotebookLM to highlight the key points from the article. As expected, it quickly pulled out the most important details, making it much easier to focus on the main takeaways without rereading the entire document.
Overall, the audio version it created and the way it handled key points really stood out to me. Other tools haven’t been able to replicate this, making NotebookLM a unique and powerful solution for tasks like this.
Why I like NotebookLM?
Honestly, NotebookLM is a great product. It has the potential to become a productivity game-changer. What I appreciate about NotebookLM is how its AI features take note-taking to the next level compared to traditional apps. It brings a lot of smart functionality, making managing documents and notes much easier.
- AI-enhanced search and retrieval: Finding precisely what I need is so much faster without wasting time scrolling through pages of notes.
- Summarization: It feels like having a personal assistant. The tool tailors key points to my needs, a huge time-saver.
- Audio generation: The capability to turn any notes into an AI audio conversation I can listen to on the go
What stands out is the ability to interact with the content in real-time.
- I can upload documents, ask questions, and get answers or summaries on the spot.
- This kind of real-time interaction is something you just don’t get in traditional note-taking apps.
While you can upload your documents in other AI chat assistants like ChatGPT or Claude, Google NotebookLM offers a more specialized approach with use-case-specific tools designed for working directly with your notes. Its AI-powered interface functions like a dedicated cockpit for document interaction, streamlining your workflow and enhancing productivity.
One downside of NotebookLM now is that it does not support uploading data files like CSV, Excel, or other database formats. However, that functionality might be added soon.
If you frequently work with notes or documents, I encourage you to try NotebookLM. It streamlines the process, making your workflow faster and more efficient.