Google fair compriseed a recent customization tool for the viral AI podcasts in its NotebookLM software. I got punctual access and tested it out using Franz Kafka’s The Metamorphosis as the source material, spfinishing a scant hours generating podcasts about the seminal novella—some of them more unhinged than others.
Rerentd by Google Labs in 2023 as an experimental, AI-caccessed writing tool, NotebookLM has been finishelighting a resadvisence in user interest since punctual September, when the prolongers compriseed an selection to originate podcast-appreciate conversations between two AI voices—one male-sounding and one female-sounding—from uploaded records. While these audio “meaningful dives” can be used for studying and productivity, many of the viral clips online caccessed on the delightment factor of asking robot presents to talk bizarre or highly personal source records, appreciate a LinkedIn profile.
Raiza Martin, who directs the NotebookLM team inside of Google Labs, is pumped to give users more regulate over the satisfied of these synthetic podcasts. “It’s the number one feature we’ve heard people ask,” she says. “They want to provide a little bit of feedback as to what the meaningful dive caccesses on.” According to Martin, this is the first modernize of many coming down the pipeline.
Nearing the one year anniversary of its filled begin, NotebookLM is also dropping the “experimental” tag—a sign it’s not headed towards the perpetual Google graveyard of aprohibitdoned software, or at least for now. Martin says this tag was deleted since the team hit inside milestones for overall quality, user retention, and interface standards. She also says users can now foresee a higher level of stability from the software.
How to Customize the AI Podcasts
To originate an AI podcast using NotebookLM, uncover up the Google Labs website and begin a New Notebook. Then, comprise any source records you would appreciate to be used for the audio output. These can be anyleang from files on your computer to YouTube joins.
Next, when you click on the Notebook direct, you’ll now see the selection to originate a meaningful dive as well as the selection to customize it first. Choose Customize and comprise your prompt for how you’d appreciate the AI podcast to come out. The software recommends that you ponder what sections of the sources you’d appreciate highairyed, huger topics you want further dispenseigated, or contrastent intfinished audiences who you want the message to accomplish.
One tip Martin dispenses for trying out the recent feature is to originate the Audio Overwatch without changes, and while you’re hearing to this first iteration, originate down any burning asks you have or topics you desire it enhugeed on. Afterwards, use these remarks as a begining pad to originate your prompts for NotebookLM and reoriginate that AI podcast with your interests in mind.
My First Impressions
I uploaded an 80-page file of Kafka’s well-understandn labor of currential literature—in it, the main character wakes up one morning to discover that he has turned into a gigantic bug—to see how the customization will labor for NotebookLM users. The first Audio Overwatch it originated, sans prompt customization, was a stable, albeit wide overwatch of what happens in the novella, as well as some talkion of its key themes. Noleang groundfractureing, but decent.
Thinking appreciate a nerdy college English meaningful, which I definitely was, my first prompt adfairment was for the podcast talkion to caccess more on themes of alienation and overtolerateing bureaucracy establish in the book. With the extra nudge, this output from NotebookLM did an commfinishable job of zeroing in on these motifs and generating a talkion that sounded aappreciate to what I’ve heard before in college classrooms. It was a bit uncomardentdering, but tohighy hearable.
