NotebookLM Tone Customization: Google's AI Podcast Feature

NotebookLM Enhances Audio Overviews with Customizable Tones

Google’s NotebookLM, an AI-powered tool for note-taking and research, has been updated to allow users to tailor the tone of its Audio Overviews. These overviews are essentially podcasts generated by AI virtual hosts, designed to summarize and discuss documents uploaded to NotebookLM.

New Tone Options Available

Users now have the ability to select from four distinct formats when creating an Audio Overview. These include “Deep Dive,” “Brief,” “Critique,” and “Debate,” offering varied approaches to content presentation.

• Deep Dive: This format presents a detailed exploration of the topic through a conversational exchange between two AI hosts, complete with in-depth questioning.
• Brief: A concise overview is provided, intended for rapid comprehension of the core concepts within the source materials.
• Critique: This option delivers a review of the uploaded sources, offering constructive criticism and suggestions for improvement.
• Debate: Two AI hosts present differing viewpoints on the source materials, fostering a dynamic discussion.

The length of the generated AI podcast can also be adjusted within each of these formats, providing further customization.

Additional Updates to NotebookLM

Beyond tone customization, Google has responded to user feedback by introducing a wider selection of voices for the AI podcasts. This enhancement aims to improve the listening experience.

Recent months have seen significant development of NotebookLM. Video Overviews were recently launched, enabling the transformation of complex multimedia – including notes, PDFs, and images – into easily understandable visual presentations.

Furthermore, NotebookLM now provides access to curated notebooks from diverse sources, such as authors, publications, researchers, and nonprofit organizations. This allows users to explore a broad spectrum of subjects.

Standalone applications for Android and iOS were officially released in May, expanding the accessibility of NotebookLM.

Availability

These new formats for NotebookLM are being rolled out globally across all supported languages and are expected to be available to all users this week, according to Google.