Google’s NotebookLM, by far my favorite AI tool, rolled out two new features this week. The app that can turn your notes into a podcast can now generate an educational video based on your study materials. It can also create a report or document from suggested, pre-made templates.
How the new NotebookLM tools work
If you’re unfamiliar, NotebookLM is a large language model akin to the better-known chatbot ChatGPT, but instead of pulling information from all over the internet (with all the risks of inaccuracy that creates), it relies only on material you input directly. You can upload PDFs, links, YouTube videos, plain text, and more, then ask the chatbot questions and it will answer based only on what you’ve given it, even providing links to where it finds the answers in the source material. As noted, it can also generate AI podcasts, which feature two voices discussing your materials, as well as flashcards, mind maps, or practice quizzes.
Video and report generation are the latest additions to NotebookLM’s toolset. You can try them out by locating the appropriate tile along the right side of the screen within your NotebookLM notebook. (Though the app is, frankly, underwhelming, so I recommend always using a desktop computer or mobile browser instead.)
How video generation works
The educational videos are excellent for students or anyone trying to learn something new. I generated one based on the materials I’ve been using within NotebookLM to study for an upcoming certification exam, and though it definitely took over the promised five minutes to create, it came out surprisingly good:
Content from my study guides and materials is included, with key information highlighted visually and with further explanation from a voiceover.
How to generate reports with NotebookLM
The reports are a little more complex. When I pressed Report, I got options like, “Anatomy Explainer” and “Business Development Plan” as suggested choices based on my material. “Briefing,” “Study Guide,” and “Blog Post” are standard suggestions that are always available. I asked a friend who also uses NotebookLM to study for school, and their suggested formats for their Management Concepts class materials were “Strategic Analysis” and “Leadership Profile.”
So it seems that based on what your materials include, the software will create outlines in downloadable document format. I selected “Anatomy Explainer” and, after waiting a few minutes, got a detailed study doc divided into sections like “The Command Center: Your Nervous System” and “The Framework: Your Skeletal System.” It was outlined clearly, like a study guide with more explanation and context.
Why I love these new features
I am a major proponent of using NotebookLM for studying, particularly, because it’s such an easy way to organize your materials and make sure that your work aligns with what your teacher is looking for. Plus, unlike ChatGPT, you can’t exactly use it to do all the work for you; instead, it shows you where it got the information (from materials you provided), enabling you to study more efficiently. The videos and reports are another way to do that, so whether you study best by listing to audio, watching videos, mind-mapping, drilling flashcards, or reading summaries, it’s an ideal choice. You can even ask the chatbot followup questions on anything you don’t grasp.
The reports, especially, have implications for other kinds of work, beyond studying. I use NotebookLM to help me organize my files and materials for my job all the time, so the ability to create a briefing doc or business plan is an added bonus that could be helpful to people in a variety of fields.
