In September 2024, Google’s NotebookLM note-taking software introduced an Audio Overviews feature that uses data you’ve supplied with the app to create a podcast with AI virtual hosts.
Interactive AI podcast hosts
Thanks to NotebookLM, users can now communicate with the AI podcast hosts. Audio Overviews and the AI hosts aim to give users a new method for processing and understanding the content of the papers they have submitted to the app, such as legal briefs or course readings.
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You can now converse with the AI hosts and ask them for clarification or other ways to teach a concept. In a blog post, Google compared the experience to having a personal instructor who listens to you and then reacts using your given information.
To activate the new feature, create a new Audio Overview, tap the new “Interactive mode (BETA)” button, and press play. When you wish to ask a question, you can click “Join” from there. After that, a host will invite you to talk.
Google states that only the latest Audio Overviews are compatible with this experimental functionality. According to the firm, hosts may “pause awkwardly before responding,” and because it’s a test feature, they may sometimes give incorrect answers.
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Audio Overviews’ growing popularity
According to Google, since the feature’s September launch, users have produced more than 350 years of Audio Overviews,
Additionally, NotebookLM will undergo a revamp that will restructure the application’s functionality into three panels: Sources, Chat, and Studio. Google is also launching NotebookLM Plus, a premium edition of the program designed for businesses that offer more features.