I've seen NotebookLM evolve over the past year that I've been using it. It's been a game-changer. I haven't yet tried the audio summaries, but after reading this, it's my next stop.
Creating your own LLM seems to get around (some of) the privacy concerns, imo. But, yes, always a concern when working on client projects.
Was really surprised how good the audio summaries are the first time i heard them, like it’s genuinely fun to listen to one.
Still after a few you kinda see the patterns, but still really impressive (though from a learning about something on a deeper level perspective only okay-ish).
Speaking of patterns: the second part of the article (starting with “hey there, AI explorers”) screams “written by AI” to me (or at least heavily edited and if I had to guess probably NotebookLM ;). Really interesting how with some stuff you just instantly say: “sounds AI written”.
Yes when these are more customizable will be fairly impressive to create custom podcasts. Everyone really enjoys it the first time it seems! So they got something right.
The constant exaggerating and dumbing down to a 6th grade level does get repetitive though. I tested some out on my text and it was hallucinating and claiming I said things I've never said though.
NotebookLM shows both the promise and peril of the technology. I love the way it can change the format of a document to become consumable in different ways. But, translating words I wrote into white, millenial Brooklyn / Seattle feels creepy and gross. There was obviously nobody named Keisha or Marisol at the Gemini product development meeting. Keep leaving us out and we will eventually get the point. Do this WITH people who have never eaten quinoa not TO us.
I agree Jeff there is a weird Bloomberg feel to the reductionism occurring here in the audio overviews. It's not just English but a very specific tone, exaggeration of nuance and glossing over the details for broad strokes here. I can't help but feel NotebookLM is like an unfinished demo for what multimodal AI can do with very speculative actual value.
The ability to generate audio overviews and synthesize complex documents is pretty wild. Do you think tools like this could eventually replace traditional methods of note-taking and studying?
The audio voice and review mechanisms will have to rise several levels before we could even begin to have that conversation. At this point, NotenookLm serves as a supplement to traditional methods, none of which can really match active practice and rewriting of note material. Or so the research indicates. That said, engagement is the gateway to understanding. So if NotebookLM initiated a process of inquiry for students who wouldn’t otherwise pick up a book, I am all for it.
It's true that audio tools might not fully match the effectiveness of traditional note-taking and active learning. Maybe as the tech evolves, these tools will enhance rather than replace traditional methods.
I think as they become more customizable and more capable, all of these Search, research, curation and summarization tools will come to something. Google clearly spent a lot of time polishing this tool.
One of the holy grails for AI are personalized Educational OSs. I think by 2035 we'll have gotten half way there.
Absolutely, Michael. The evolution of AI-powered educational tools could be transformative, especially as they become more personalized and user-friendly.
Very helpful!!!
Here’s their privacy statement: “We value your privacy and never use your personal data to train NotebookLM.” https://support.google.com/notebooklm/answer/14275965?hl=en
I've seen NotebookLM evolve over the past year that I've been using it. It's been a game-changer. I haven't yet tried the audio summaries, but after reading this, it's my next stop.
Creating your own LLM seems to get around (some of) the privacy concerns, imo. But, yes, always a concern when working on client projects.
Was really surprised how good the audio summaries are the first time i heard them, like it’s genuinely fun to listen to one.
Still after a few you kinda see the patterns, but still really impressive (though from a learning about something on a deeper level perspective only okay-ish).
Speaking of patterns: the second part of the article (starting with “hey there, AI explorers”) screams “written by AI” to me (or at least heavily edited and if I had to guess probably NotebookLM ;). Really interesting how with some stuff you just instantly say: “sounds AI written”.
Yes when these are more customizable will be fairly impressive to create custom podcasts. Everyone really enjoys it the first time it seems! So they got something right.
The constant exaggerating and dumbing down to a 6th grade level does get repetitive though. I tested some out on my text and it was hallucinating and claiming I said things I've never said though.
NotebookLM shows both the promise and peril of the technology. I love the way it can change the format of a document to become consumable in different ways. But, translating words I wrote into white, millenial Brooklyn / Seattle feels creepy and gross. There was obviously nobody named Keisha or Marisol at the Gemini product development meeting. Keep leaving us out and we will eventually get the point. Do this WITH people who have never eaten quinoa not TO us.
I agree Jeff there is a weird Bloomberg feel to the reductionism occurring here in the audio overviews. It's not just English but a very specific tone, exaggeration of nuance and glossing over the details for broad strokes here. I can't help but feel NotebookLM is like an unfinished demo for what multimodal AI can do with very speculative actual value.
The ability to generate audio overviews and synthesize complex documents is pretty wild. Do you think tools like this could eventually replace traditional methods of note-taking and studying?
The audio voice and review mechanisms will have to rise several levels before we could even begin to have that conversation. At this point, NotenookLm serves as a supplement to traditional methods, none of which can really match active practice and rewriting of note material. Or so the research indicates. That said, engagement is the gateway to understanding. So if NotebookLM initiated a process of inquiry for students who wouldn’t otherwise pick up a book, I am all for it.
It's true that audio tools might not fully match the effectiveness of traditional note-taking and active learning. Maybe as the tech evolves, these tools will enhance rather than replace traditional methods.
I think as they become more customizable and more capable, all of these Search, research, curation and summarization tools will come to something. Google clearly spent a lot of time polishing this tool.
One of the holy grails for AI are personalized Educational OSs. I think by 2035 we'll have gotten half way there.
Absolutely, Michael. The evolution of AI-powered educational tools could be transformative, especially as they become more personalized and user-friendly.