Google NotebookLM: New Features for Researchers, Students, and Organizers

Google launched its note-taking app NotebookLM last year, catering to researchers, students, and anyone in need of organizing gathered information. The app has now introduced new features that allow users to upload Google Slides and web URLs as sources, expanding beyond the previous acceptance of Google Docs, PDFs, and text files. The new Notebook Guide feature can now read sources in NotebookLM and create study guides, FAQs, or briefing documents. Users can also now ask questions about charts, images, and diagrams uploaded to the platform, thanks to NotebookLM running on Google’s Gemini 1.5 Pro.

Raiza Martin, senior product manager at Google Labs, emphasized that NotebookLM is a closed system, only providing answers from the user’s added information. The app will not conduct web searches beyond the content users input. In a demo, NotebookLM successfully provided information from a PDF of a line graph and summarized the text of the EU AI Act with citations. However, web URL sources did not work during the demo.

Google highlighted various use cases for NotebookLM, including author Walter Isaacson analyzing Marie Curie’s journals for his next book and nonprofits organizing information for grant proposals. While the target audience remains researchers, students, and writers, other users, such as a Dungeons & Dragons dungeon master preparing a campaign, have found value in the app.

NotebookLM is now available in over 200 countries and territories, supporting more than 100 languages. The app’s enhanced features aim to streamline information organization and research processes for users across various fields.