Google’s NotebookLM Now Lets You Customize Its AI Podcasts

Google conscionable added a caller customization instrumentality for the viral AI podcasts successful its NotebookLM software. I got aboriginal entree and tested it retired utilizing Franz Kafka’s The Metamorphosis arsenic the root material, spending a fewer hours generating podcasts astir the seminal novella—some of them much unhinged than others.

Released by Google Labs successful 2023 arsenic an experimental, AI-focused penning tool, NotebookLM has been enjoying a resurgence successful idiosyncratic involvement since aboriginal September, erstwhile the developers added an enactment to generate podcast-like conversations betwixt 2 AI voices—one male-sounding and 1 female-sounding—from uploaded documents. While these audio “deep dives” tin beryllium utilized for studying and productivity, galore of the viral clips online focused connected the amusement origin of asking robot hosts to sermon bizarre oregon highly idiosyncratic root documents, similar a LinkedIn profile.

Raiza Martin, who leads the NotebookLM squad wrong of Google Labs, is pumped to springiness users much power implicit the contented of these synthetic podcasts. “It's the fig 1 diagnostic we've heard radical request,” she says. “They privation to supply a small spot of feedback arsenic to what the heavy dive focuses on.” According to Martin, this is the archetypal update of galore coming down the pipeline.

Nearing the 1 twelvemonth day of its full launch, NotebookLM is besides dropping the “experimental” tag—a motion it’s not headed towards the perpetual Google graveyard of abandoned software, oregon astatine slightest for now. Martin says this statement was removed since the squad deed interior milestones for wide quality, idiosyncratic retention, and interface standards. She besides says users tin present expect a higher level of stableness from the software.

How to Customize the AI Podcasts

To marque an AI podcast utilizing NotebookLM, unfastened up the Google Labs website and commencement a New Notebook. Then, adhd immoderate root documents you would similar to beryllium utilized for the audio output. These tin beryllium thing from files connected your machine to YouTube links.

Next, erstwhile you click connected the Notebook guide, you’ll present spot the enactment to make a heavy dive arsenic good arsenic the enactment to customize it first. Choose Customize and adhd your punctual for however you’d similar the AI podcast to travel out. The bundle suggests that you see what sections of the sources you’d similar highlighted, larger topics you privation further explored, oregon antithetic intended audiences who you privation the connection to reach.

One extremity Martin shares for trying retired the caller diagnostic is to make the Audio Overview without changes, and portion you’re listening to this archetypal iteration, constitute down immoderate burning questions you person oregon topics you privation it expanded on. Afterwards, usage these notes arsenic a launching pad to make your prompts for NotebookLM and regenerate that AI podcast with your interests successful mind.

My First Impressions

I uploaded an 80-page record of Kafka’s celebrated enactment of existential literature—in it, the main quality wakes up 1 greeting to find that helium has turned into a gigantic bug—to spot however the customization volition enactment for NotebookLM users. The archetypal Audio Overview it generated, sans punctual customization, was a solid, albeit wide overview of what happens successful the novella, arsenic good arsenic immoderate treatment of its cardinal themes. Nothing groundbreaking, but decent.

Thinking similar a nerdy assemblage English major, which I decidedly was, my archetypal punctual accommodation was for the podcast treatment to absorption much connected themes of alienation and overbearing bureaucracy recovered successful the book. With the other nudge, this output from NotebookLM did an admirable occupation of zeroing successful connected these motifs and generating a treatment that sounded akin to what I’ve heard earlier successful assemblage classrooms. It was a spot meandering, but wholly listenable.