NotebookLM is clearly near and dear to Google, and that’s precisely why the platform keeps gaining new features every few weeks.
Soon after the platform doubled down on Overviews by rolling out video support, it is now bringing more customization options to the flagship feature that popularized the platform in the first place.
Up until now, NotebookLM’s podcast-like Audio Overviews could be customized into different languages, with the only other customization option being the overall discussion’s length and what the AI hosts should focus on. That changes drastically with what Google just rolled out.
Announced by the platform in an X (Twitter) post, via TechCrunch, NotebookLM is gaining new Audio Overview formats that each offer distinct ways of analyzing and summarizing information. Said formats include:
- Deep Dive: A lively conversation between two hosts, unpacking and connecting topics in your sources.
- Brief: A bite-sized overview to help you grasp the core ideas from your sources quickly.
- Critique: An expert review of your sources, offering constructive feedback to help you improve your material.
- Debate: A thoughtful debate between two hosts, illuminating different perspectives on your sources.
Oh, and, more features are on the way!
Deep Dive gives you short, default, and lengthy overview options, while Critique and Debate give you only short and default options. You can’t customize the overview’s length if you opt for the ‘Brief’ format.
The new formats are available in all languages that Audio Overviews are available in. Additionally, each new format also comes with new AI voices, essentially unlocking a far more personalized listening experience.
The feature began rolling out yesterday and should be available widely within the week. I, for reference, already have access to the new formats.
Elsewhere, within the same tweet, NotebookLM also indicated that it will soon gain the ability to analyze full Google Doc folders as sources. For reference, currently users can only upload individual documents like Google Docs and Slides. It’s not entirely clear when support for uploading full folders might arrive, but given the speed at which NotebookLM has been rolling out new features, we wouldn’t be surprised if this functionality arrives sooner rather than later.
