Google's AI Transforms Notes into Podcasts: A New Era of Content Creation

Google's Gemini AI is now turning your notes into a podcast

Would you rather read your memos or have someone read them back to you? Well, Google is now making the latter an option, with the new AI-powered feature dropping in NotebookLM's latest update. As per Google's press release, the Alphabet company says it created NotebookLM, its Gemini 1.5 Pro powered research assistant, to help consumers "make sense of complex information", with a recent expansion allowing support for Google Slides, better fact checking, instantaneous study guide creation and more. But now, Audio Overviews will "turn your documents into engaging audio discussions" by using two "AI hosts". After uploading a new or existing Notebook, users can click on the "Generate" button to create an Audio Overview, where the hosts will start a deep dive discussion based on the document's sources, summarizing material and offering back-and-forth banter about related topics. Users can even download the audio and listen on the go, much like a podcast. To demonstrate how to use the feature, Google created an eight-minute-long audio clip, which dabbles with the two AI-generated voices mimicking that of typical podcast banter, with conversational colloquialisms thrown into the mix alongside factual information (I dare you to count how many times the word "like" is used). That said, Google notes that the generated discussions are "not a comprehensive or objective view of a topic, but simply a reflection of the sources you've uploaded". In simple terms, this feature pulls directly from the input material, so user potential is endless. However, there are some caveats to the feature, in that it's still described as "experimental" and the hosts only speak English. Another limitation would include the fact that users cannot interrupt or pause the hosts yet. While we're not sure what that would entail, we can speculate that once the user has inputted their sources or notes and enabled the feature, changing the "script" for the AI hosts could prove challenging. Google says that the hosts can "introduce some inaccuracies" too, so we'd suggest taking that with a grain of salt, especially if students frequently access the feature. We're unsure if these AI hosts will venture beyond NotebookLM, but Google hasn't limited real-time AI conversation capability, with Gemini's recent rollout of its Live Voice Mode for Android users.

Google's AI notebook can generate a podcast about your notes

Two AI hosts will discuss the materials you've uploaded to NotebookLM. Google's latest update for its AI-powered research tool NotebookLM can turn the materials you want to pore over into a podcast-like audio discussion. The new feature called Audio Overview takes information from documents you've uploaded and then generates a "deep dive" discussion between two AI hosts. In addition to summarizing your sources, Google says the hosts will be able to find links between different topics and even banter back and forth. Based on the example the company posted with its announcement, the AI hosts sounded human enough to listen to, though you could still determine that the voices were AI-generated from their inflections and odd pronunciations of certain words. Since the feature is still in its experimental stages, Google admits that it has its limitations. The hosts can only speak English at this time, and they sometimes say inaccurate information, which means you will have to double check your material and ensure you didn't just learn something that's not factual. You also can't interrupt the hosts while they're speaking yet, and it still takes several minutes for NotebookLM to generate an Audio Overview for notebooks with larger files. Biao Wang, Google Labs product manager, wrote in the feature's announcement post that his team is "excited to bring audio into NotebookLM" despite those limitations, since they "know some people learn and remember better by listening to conversations." The company launched NotebookLM back in 2023 as some sort of a digital assistant that you can ask questions about the documents you upload. In June this year, Google announced that NotebookLM has officially started running on Gemini 1.5 Pro, giving it new features and tools, and has expanded to over 200 countries and territories.

Google can now turn your study notes into engaging podcast-style discussions

Key Takeaways Google's NotebookLM is now equipped with Gemini 1.5 Pro, allowing users to generate AI audio discussions based on their notes. This feature, called Audio Overview, generates podcast-style conversations between AI hosts, but is not free of limitations. It can occasionally introduce inaccuracies into the material and currently only operates in English. A few months ago, Google announced at an I/O developer event that NotebookLM, its AI-powered note-taking and study tool, would be equipped with the capabilities of Gemini 1.5 Pro. This upgrade would allow the platform to not only create study guides and quizzes but, interestingly enough, also AI audio discussions. Related 5 things Gemini 1.5 Pro can do that 1.0 couldn't Gemini 1.5 is here, and here is 5 things that Gemini 1.5 Pro can do that 1.0 couldn't Google rolls out its new Audio Overview feature globally As announced on Google's The Keyword blog, the Mountain View giant is now widely rolling out its Audio Overview feature, which will let you upload your documents and generate AI audio discussion based on your notes. To be clear, when we say audio discussions, we don't mean basic, monotone readings of your notes, the way a text-to-speech reader might generate. Instead, Audio Overview is a pretty nifty tool, in that it generates a lively, two-way discussion between two AI hosts. You might almost mistake these AI hosts for real podcasters, given how naturally their conversations seem to flow. In Google's own words, the AI hosts "summarize your material, make connections between topics, and banter back and forth". To say this feature aids learning about new topics or connecting the dots when you have a mountain of information to go through is an understatement, but it's not without limitations. Of course, this is expected, given that NotebookLM is an experimental platform and its generative AI capabilities will likely continue to be fine-tuned. Audio Overview has its limitations While you can download the AI-generated conversations to listen to at a later point in time, Google warns users not to mistake these discussions as a "comprehensive or objective view of a topic." Also, the AI hosts may misinterpret certain aspects of your uploaded material, causing them to introduce inaccuracies. So, don't rely on these AI discussions as your sole source of information; it's best used to supplement your own understanding of a topic. For now, the AI hosts only speak English, too. But we're hopeful that Audio Overview's language capabilities will expand in the future. If you have access to this feature, you can try it out by opening an existing notebook, selecting Notebook guide, and clicking the Generate or Load button. For whatever reason, if you're unable to access this feature yet, one of these ten best text-to-speech extensions might serve as a solid alternative in the meantime.

Google launches AI-driven podcast feature in NotebookLM

This experimental functionality, known as Audio Overview, leverages artificial intelligence to create podcast-style discussions featuring two AI hosts, according to The Verge. NotebookLM, which was launched last year, has been enhanced with this new feature to offer a more interactive experience for users managing their notes and research materials. With the integration of Google's Gemini AI model, Audio Overview allows users to input their research and receive a synthesized, audio-based summary presented by virtual hosts. These AI hosts are programmed to "summarize your material, make connections between topics, and banter back and forth," creating an audio version of the detailed summaries previously available only in text form, according to The Verge. The feature aims to make engaging content out of research findings. During an internal test, the AI-generated podcast provided a lively discussion on the invention of the lightbulb. The hosts conversed about Thomas Edison and the collaborative nature of the invention, with remarks like "in the end, it's actually a story about teamwork, making the dream work." Despite their attempt to emulate a human-like conversation, the AI hosts displayed some quirks, such as spelling out words like "P-L-U-S" and using informal phrases like "bling bling metal" for platinum, according to The Verge. While the AI-generated conversations can be entertaining and educational, there are limitations to the feature. Google notes that Audio Overview is intended to reflect your notes rather than provide a comprehensive or objective view of a topic. Additionally, the process of generating a podcast can be time-consuming, and the feature is currently available only in English, according to The Verge. Users should be cautious about relying on it for critical information, as the AI is not always accurate. To explore this new functionality, users can access it by opening a notebook in NotebookLM, selecting the Notebook guide in the bottom-right corner of the screen, and then choosing the "Audio Overview" option. (ANI)

Google AI Turns Your Notes Into a 'Lively' Podcast With 2 Fake Hosts

Google is using AI to turn documents, notes, and other sources into a "lively" audio discussion featuring two AI hosts. The feature, dubbed Audio Overviews, launches in NotebookLM today. You can try it by uploading work into a new or existing Notebook. Then, open the Notebook guide and click the Generate button to instantly spin up a podcast-style discussion about the material. Google demos the technology by creating an Audio Overview of the feature's press release. In the eight-minute clip, two AI-generated voices, one male and one female, sound authentic, but the conversation veers into infomercial territory that is hard to listen to. "You ever get that feeling like you're just drowning in information, articles, PDFs, websites, all promising to, like, unlock the secrets of the universe?" says the male voice. "Wouldn't it be amazing if there was some kind of, like, AI that could do the reading for you, and then tell you the good stuff?" "What if I told you that's exactly what we're diving into today?" the female AI responds. "Wait, seriously?" says the male. The conversation goes on, sprinkling in "like" to sound more human, and using colloquial phrases such as "drinking from a firehose." Google says the tech is "still experimental and has some known limitations." For example, the AI hosts can only speak in English and can be inaccurate. It can also take several minutes to generate an Audio Overview for large notebooks. Listeners can't interrupt Audio Overview hosts "yet," Google says, suggesting it's not yet as interactive as Google's Project Astra demo at the I/O conference in May. Project Astra and OpenAI's voice mode are both geared toward students as a private tutor that can help them work through the material and ask questions. By putting Audio Overviews in NotebookLM, where students might be working, the product could be well-positioned to do the same in the future.

Google Gemini in NotebookLM is finally ready to turn your textbooks into interactive podcasts

Key Takeaways Google's NotebookLM now offers Audio Overviews, allowing you to turn homework into interactive podcasts. The tool can generate spoken dialogue discussions from text input, documents, and even website links. Google cautions on limitations like processing time for large texts and English language limitation. Google's NotebookLM is a boon for students strapped for time. The tool essentially allows users to upload documents or plain text to NotebookLM, and have it answer detailed questions, surface key insights, or convert the complex material into simple-to-understand formats like FAQs. During I/O back in May, Google announced that the tool will soon be supercharged with Gemini 1.5 Pro's multimodal functionalities, unlocking features like Audio Overviews. Related Gemini 1.5 Pro in NotebookLM can turn your homework into an interactive podcast The tool can now generate spoken dialogue discussions from the information you feed it Albeit later than expected, Audio Overviews are finally landing on NotebookLM, as announced by Google in a new blog post today, allowing you to essentially turn your homework into an interactive podcast. The feature, which can take all the information you feed it as input and create a spoken dialogue discussion from it, is a game changer for those that learn the best when they listen to information, rather than reading it. Users can download the conversation for on-the-go listening, and even jump-in the two-person AI conversation to put forward a point or ask for specific examples. In a 'live' presentation at I/O, which had 'pre-generated' audio, the tech giant showed how the tool was able to generate a spoken-dialogue discussion about physics, with the presenter jumping in and asking for a "basketball example." The tool was quickly able to connect basketball and physics, and explain how the former is a great tool to visualize force and motion. The tool has some limitations Close Google has cautioned that the tool is still in its experimental phase, and has some known limitations. For reference, we added a 300-word text block to the tool, and it took roughly two minutes to generate an AI discussion around it. For larger pieces of texts or large vast documents, the tool can take several minutes. Additionally, the discussion is currently limited to English, and may introduce inaccuracies. If you want to try out the tool regardless, you can head to notebooklm.google.com/ and tap on New Notebook or Add Source. Proceed by either uploading a document, a link to a website, or paste in text and tap on Generate. Alternatively, you can follow the screenshots above for visual cues. If you don't want to go through the hassle of testing out the feature, check out this Audio Overview below. It summarizes a recent Android Police article about Pixel 9 Pro Fold owners facing 5G issues on AT&T.

Google will turn those long documents into your next favorite podcast

No need to read when you can listen to AI voices banter about the same info If you have a lot of reading to do for school or work but would rather listen to a podcast, Google's new AI-powered Audio Overview tool has you covered. As first demonstrated at Google I/O this year, Audio Overviews lets you convert documents, slides, and other text into an audio show where AI hosts discuss the topic. Google is pitching the feature as a way for people who learn better by listening than reading to digest complex information. The feature personalizes learning for you if you would rather hear a topic discussed than read reports. Audio Overviews are part of the NotebookLM note-taking app introduced earlier this year. The feature relies on Google's Gemini AI models to summarize and organize documents, enhancing them with audio AI. The most interesting bit is that it's not just an AI voice reading the same text summary; you'll hear synthetic personalities talking about the documents to each other. The virtual hosts explain the subject and the connections between different topics in the documents. They try to make studying and research easier or at least something you can enjoy while driving. The back-and-forth discussion even includes jokes and banter like you've commissioned a hyper-specific podcast episode just for you. You can hear an example below based on this Google blog post on NotebookLM. NotebookLM includes a generate button within the app to make an Audio Overview from a notebook. Once the overview is made, you can download the file and listen to it whenever you want. The audio is built using just your uploaded files; however, there is no additional research, so it's hardly a comprehensive study guide. Plus, as with all AI-generated content, you have to watch out for hallucinations and wrong information. At I/O, Google promised that there would be more advanced versions of Audio Overviews to come. That includes the possibility of real-time interaction, not just a passive listening experience. It would turn the audio from a podcast to more of a call-in radio show with an audience of one and hosts who only want to talk about a very specific set of information. And while Google is centering Audio Overviews on academic or other research and studying, it's very easy to imagine the same tech being used for hyper-focused (and conversational) news reports or perhaps even a way of getting all the updates on your friends and family from their social media posts.

NotebookLM's new 'Audio Overview' turns your notes into a mini podcast

As previewed at I/O 2024 in May, NotebookLM is rolling out an "Audio Overview" feature that turns your documents, slides, and charts into "engaging audio discussions." When you open a notebook and go into the high-level guide, which already lets you create a FAQ, Table of contents, Briefing doc, and more, there will be a new "Generate" button. Two "AI hosts" will have a "lively" back-and-forth discussion. They can summarize your added sources, make connections between topics, and "banter." You can download this file and listen to it elsewhere, with NotebookLM particularly aimed at study guide use cases. Google notes that the generated discussion is a "reflection of the sources that you've uploaded" rather than a "comprehensive or objective view of a topic." There's also the possibility of inaccuracies being introduced. Audio Overviews are still in the experimental phase, and take several minutes to generate for larger notebooks. Only English output is supported today, while the ability to interrupt and ask a question is not yet available. At I/O, Google showed off being able to "join" the conversation to steer it and ask questions. There was a real-time transcript and cool circular animation, with that experience more live than just getting an audio file.

Google introduces AI-driven podcast feature 'Audio Overview' in NotebookLM

Google has introduced a groundbreaking feature in its AI note-taking app, NotebookLM, that transforms your research into engaging, AI-generated podcasts. This experimental functionality, known as Audio Overview, leverages artificial intelligence to create podcast-style discussions featuring two AI hosts, according to The Verge. Click here to connect with us on WhatsApp NotebookLM, which was launched last year, has been enhanced with this new feature to offer a more interactive experience for users managing their notes and research materials. With the integration of Google's Gemini AI model, Audio Overview allows users to input their research and receive a synthesized, audio-based summary presented by virtual hosts. These AI hosts are programmed to "summarize your material, make connections between topics, and banter back and forth," creating an audio version of the detailed summaries previously available only in text form, according to The Verge. The feature aims to make engaging content out of research findings. More From This Section Vivo T3 Ultra, powered by MediaTek Dimensity 9200+, launched: Price, specs Acer launches gaming-centric Aspire 7 laptop: Check price, specs, and more Samsung launches Galaxy M05 budget smartphone in India at Rs 7,999: Details HMD 105 4G and HMD 110 4G with YouTube Shorts, Music, UPI launched in India China's Huawei debuts tri-fold design smartphone in Mate line: Take a look During an internal test, the AI-generated podcast provided a lively discussion on the invention of the lightbulb. The hosts conversed about Thomas Edison and the collaborative nature of the invention, with remarks like "in the end, it's actually a story about teamwork, making the dream work." Despite their attempt to emulate a human-like conversation, the AI hosts displayed some quirks, such as spelling out words like "P-L-U-S" and using informal phrases like "bling bling metal" for platinum, according to The Verge. While the AI-generated conversations can be entertaining and educational, there are limitations to the feature. Google notes that Audio Overview is intended to reflect your notes rather than provide a comprehensive or objective view of a topic. Additionally, the process of generating a podcast can be time-consuming, and the feature is currently available only in English, according to The Verge. Users should be cautious about relying on it for critical information, as the AI is not always accurate. To explore this new functionality, users can access it by opening a notebook in NotebookLM, selecting the Notebook guide in the bottom-right corner of the screen, and then choosing the "Audio Overview" option. Also Read Google to release Android 15 update with these new features in coming weeks As regulators get tough, Big Tech's easy ride is coming to an end Google debated cutting fees for ad exchange 8 yrs ago, ex officials testify Google's AI model faces EU scrutiny from watchdog over privacy rules Ex-Google exec says goal was to 'crush' competition, shows trial evidence

Google's AI note-taking app NotebookLM can now explain complex topics to you out loud | TechCrunch

Google announced on Wednesday that its AI note-taking and research app, NotebookLM, is adding a new "audio conversations" feature. Audio conversations will give users another way to digest and comprehend the information in the documents they have uploaded to the app, such as course readings or legal briefs. Since its launch, the NotebookLM has used text to summarize and explain source materials, but now, it can do so out loud using audio. The feature is geared toward people who grasp materials better by listening to explanations as opposed to reading them. AI-generated virtual hosts will use conversational speech patterns to give you a summary of the materials you have shared. The hosts will share facts or compelling topics from the source material and do things like use metaphors to explain complicated concepts. Google says that listening to these discussions will help users find new connections between their documents or get inspiration for their drafts. To get started with audio conversations, you need to open an existing notebook, navigate to the Notebook guide, and click on the "generate" button on the right-hand side. It can take up to five minutes for an audio conversation to generate, and for now, you can only generate conversations in English. You also have the option to download the conversation and listen to it on the go to get a quick understanding of your source materials. Audio conversations are still in beta and there may be some inaccuracies in the conversations, Google says. The company first demoed NotebookLM under the name Project Tailwind back in June 2023 at Google I/O before making it available to everyone above the age of 18 in the U.S. last December. The app is now available in over 200 countries in more than 108 languages.

Google's NotebookLM can discuss your notes with you now. How to access it (and why you should)

Need someone to go over your class material with you? Talk to AI. Last year, Google unveiled NotebookLM, an experimental AI notebook that combines LLMs with user notes to further your understanding of a topic by providing summaries, answering questions, and more. Now, it can even discuss your content with you. Also: How to use Google's AI-powered NotebookLM to organize your research On Wednesday, Google launched Audio Overview in NotebookLM, a feature allowing users to discuss their notebook content in engaging, AI-driven conversations. The discussions are carried out by two AI-generated hosts who use the context of your content to explain complex topics, make analogies, and keep the dialogue going back and forth with you. In a blog post announcing the launch, Google shared an example of the AI host discussing the content of a prior NotebookLM Keyword post. The voices are surprisingly realistic and it sounds like you're listening to a podcast where two hosts discuss a topic. Many times, when learning a new or complex topic, all you need to do is talk it through with someone. However, finding someone readily available and well-versed in the topic can be difficult. In those instances, I can see this feature being useful. Also: How to sign up for Google Labs - and 5 reasons why you should You can visit the NotebookLM website or Google Labs and click 'Try NotebookLM' to get started. You'll need a Google account to sign in, but the experience is free. Then, to create an Audio Overview, open an existing notebook, click on the Notebook guide, and then 'Generate' to create the Audio Overview. Google warns that the feature is still experimental and has limitations, such as taking several minutes to generate an Audio Overview for large notebooks and sometimes saying inaccuracies. Currently, users can't interrupt the hosts, and conversations are only supported in English.

NotebookLM now lets you listen to a conversation about your sources

Our new Audio Overview feature can turn documents, slides, charts and more into engaging discussions with one click. NotebookLM, a tool that helps users understand complex information by summarizing sources and providing relevant quotes, now offers an "Audio Overview" feature. With this new feature, users can listen to AI-generated discussions about their sources. These discussions summarize the material, make connections between topics, and can be downloaded for on-the-go listening. While Audio Overview is still experimental and has limitations, such as inaccuracies and the inability to interrupt the AI hosts, the team is excited to introduce this new way of understanding information.

Google is using AI to make fake podcasts from your research

Google isn't making things up when it says the AI hosts will "banter" with each other, either. When trying out Audio Overview for myself, I plugged in one of the sample notebooks about the invention of the lightbulb, and the results were... a bit uncanny. During the 10-minute-long overview, the two hosts had a lighthearted discussion about how Thomas Edison wasn't the only person behind the lightbulb and that "in the end, it's actually a story about teamwork, making the dream work."