Forget tedious editing – imagine transforming meeting notes, group chats, or email threads into engaging podcasts in minutes.

Do you prefer to listen instead of read like me? Lucky for you I used NotebookLM to create a podcast out of this post. Listen below.

Listen to this post

What is Google NoteBookLM?

Launched in 2023, NoteBookLM is an AI-powered tool that lets you upload any document, transcript, PDF, or even a website URL. The AI processes the content and within minutes, delivers a podcast with two AI hosts discussing the material.

NoteBookLM initially launched to limited fanfare in July 2023, so why is it now taking the internet and AI enthusiasts by storm? Just a few weeks ago, Google announced a game-changing feature: automated podcast generation . This update, powered by Gemini 1.5’s multimodal capabilities, has transformed NoteBookLM from a generic AI tool into something a level above any other AI audio tools I have seen.

Why NoteBookLM is a Game-Changer

  • Engaging Dialogue: Two AI hosts create a natural-sounding conversation, making information more engaging than a simple read-aloud.
  • Versatile Content Input: From meeting notes to complex research papers, NoteBookLM easily handles all formats of source material.
  • Lightning-Fast Creation: No editing required. Get a polished podcast in less than 5 minutes.
  • Expertly Backed: The AI grounds its discussion in your source material, providing citations and quotes for reference.

Who Benefits from NoteBookLM?

  • Content Creators: Repurpose blog posts into podcasts, reaching a wider audience.
  • Educators & Students: Create audio summaries of lectures and textbooks for efficient learning.
  • Researchers & Professionals: Get audio overviews of meeting transcripts on the go.
  • Anyone who prefers listening over reading! (which is definitely me)

How NoteBookLM Works

  1. Upload Content: Create a notebook, and submit your document, PDF, or webpage links as sources.
  2. AI Processing: NoteBookLM analyzes the material using Gemini 1.5’s advanced capabilities.
  3. Podcast Generation: Hit “generate audio” and within minutes, you’ll have a custom podcast episode featuring two AI hosts discussing your content. You can even download the podcast as a .wav file.

Things to Keep in Mind

  • AI-Generated Scope: The discussions reflect the uploaded content; they aren’t exhaustive analyses.
  • Fact-Checking is Key: While NoteBookLM can fact-check itself, manual verification is still needed as it can get details wrong.
  • Limited Customization: Currently, you can’t customize voices or easily edit the audio after creation.

Have you tried NoteBookLM? Share your thoughts in the comments below! And don’t forget to spread the word – share this post with anyone who could benefit from this amazing AI tool.

If you want to download, speed-up, and optimize the .wav file from NoteBookLM for sharing on podcast platforms or in messages to friends, use this shell command on OSX:

input="output.wav" && output="${input%.*}-optimized.m4a" && ffmpeg -i "$input" -filter_complex "[0:a]atempo=1.2,silenceremove=stop_periods=-1:stop_duration=1:stop_threshold=-50dB[speed];[speed]aformat=sample_fmts=fltp:sample_rates=44100:channel_layouts=mono[mono]" -map "[mono]" -codec:a aac -b:a 64k "$output" && echo "Original WAV size: $(du -h "$input" | cut -f1)" && echo "New M4A size: $(du -h "$output" | cut -f1)"