NotebookLM has loads to be taught from YouTube

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Despite my job’s calls for to maintain up with AI, I've been a skeptic for a very long time. AI is spectacular, nevertheless it’s genuinely not accessible for all — not only for its price, but in addition for the grit and fixed iteration of prompts to grasp the end result. Nevertheless, if there’s one product that has reshaped my views, it's NotebookLM, which has really reworked how I eat data, for causes apart from the truth that it takes extreme immediate engineering out of the query.

I've offloaded the unexciting points of studying to NotebookLM. That features boring advertising or enterprise newsletters, analysis papers, and video essays that I wish to imbibe the most effective of, however with out watching the idle chatter that these presenters interact in earlier than attending to the purpose. You identify it, and NotebookLM helps kind it out. And, one NotebookLM characteristic that notably does many of the heavy lifting for me is Audio Overview. I’m inclined to imagine it is usually NotebookLM’s star performer — the characteristic that will get used probably the most.

Regardless of my admiration for NotebookLM, I imagine just a few additions may make it extra environment friendly. For inspiration, we want look no additional than Google’s personal YouTube. However earlier than I start my account, I’d love to listen to when you share my affection for NotebookLM.

Have you ever used NotebookLM's Audio Overview characteristic? If sure, what do you consider it? 0 votes

It is nice! I take advantage of it fairly often.

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I prefer it nevertheless it may use extra options.

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I've but to search out it helpful.

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I do not use all of it.

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I have never heard of Audio Overview.

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One thing else (remark under)

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Basic options NotebookLM wants

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The one NotebookLM characteristic I hold passionately telling everybody about — like I did to you above — is Audio Overview. Within the uncommon occasion that you're unfamiliar with what it does, Audio Overview generates a podcast utilizing AI, the place two synthetic hosts converse to clarify a characteristic. The data is damaged down into manageable chunks to make it simpler to know, and the tone employed right here is often informal, participating, and pleasant.

Like I mentioned above, I actively depend on it to eat any dry, expansive, or stretched-out chunk of data, and eat these AI-generated podcasts whereas I’m burning elbow grease for chores, strolling the canine, driving, and many others. However whereas I accomplish that, there are just a few options I feel would make NotebookLM and Audio Overview much more helpful.

And so, the primary change I hope for NotebookLM to undertake is the power to save lots of observe progress. Image this: a 15-minute Audio Overview condenses all the knowledge you'd in any other case spend an identical (or in some instances, extra ) time studying by way of or listening to the precise supply. As long as you hearken to it in a single go, it’s all nice. And with the lately added Interactive characteristic, you may even interrupt the audio system or steer the dialog in a means that may be sure that you really be taught one thing priceless.

<img class="e_Ug" decoding="async" loading="lazy" sizes="(min-width: 64rem) 51.25rem, 80vw" title="notebooklm audio overview" srcset="https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/notebooklm-audio-overview.jpg 2133w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/notebooklm-audio-overview-64w-36h.jpg 64w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/notebooklm-audio-overview-1000w-563h.jpg 1000w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/notebooklm-audio-overview-1920w-1080h.jpg 1920w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/notebooklm-audio-overview-1536w-864h.jpg 1536w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/notebooklm-audio-overview-675w-380h.jpg 675w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/notebooklm-audio-overview-300w-170h.jpg 300w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/notebooklm-audio-overview-1280w-720h.jpg 1280w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/notebooklm-audio-overview-840w-472h.jpg 840w" alt="notebooklm audio overview" src="https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/notebooklm-audio-overview.jpg"/> Tushar Mehta / Android Authority

Nevertheless, if there’s a scarcity of time — otherwise you’re not within the right headspace to really take in data, you'd be inclined to depart it within the center and hopefully return to it later at a greater time. I don’t find out about you, however I try this on a regular basis with lengthy articles or movies that I’m curious to learn or watch however not instantly.

Now, once I return to NotebookLM to renew the podcast — and if I do after some time, the app has both been cleared from the background or killed attributable to inactivity — I’m sure to start out from the start and scrub my approach to the purpose I've already listened to.

Minor inconvenience, most will scoff, I do know! However I might be far more at peace if I didn’t need to do it. I might be pleased if NotebookLM may save my progress with a selected observe, permitting me to choose up proper from the place I had disengaged beforehand. YouTube already does that, so we all know it’s not inconceivable.

I might willingly pay Google further to handle NotebookLM tracks for me, simply as YouTube does.

However you recognize what would make me happier? It’s when NotebookLM wouldn't solely save my observe progress but in addition synchronize it throughout a number of units the place I take advantage of the platform. Once more, that’s not solely inconceivable, since NotebookLM already syncs completely different notebooks together with generated insights, thoughts maps, in addition to audio and video overviews throughout units. That may be particularly helpful whereas utilizing NotebookLM’s cellular apps.

The one perceivable problem, maybe, for Google could be to allocate further reminiscence to retailer information on how far a specific observe has progressed. For billions of customers, that could possibly be a humongous price for his or her separate vaults. However isn’t personalization your complete promoting level for AI? I might readily pay for a machine to carry out the trivial job for me. It’s higher than passing butter, not less than!

Elective options it may use

<img class="e_Ug" decoding="async" loading="lazy" sizes="(min-width: 64rem) 51.25rem, 80vw" title="youtube secondary channel home page blank" srcset="https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/youtube-secondary-channel-home-page-blank.jpg 2000w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/youtube-secondary-channel-home-page-blank-64w-36h.jpg 64w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/youtube-secondary-channel-home-page-blank-1000w-563h.jpg 1000w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/youtube-secondary-channel-home-page-blank-1920w-1080h.jpg 1920w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/youtube-secondary-channel-home-page-blank-1536w-864h.jpg 1536w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/youtube-secondary-channel-home-page-blank-675w-380h.jpg 675w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/youtube-secondary-channel-home-page-blank-300w-170h.jpg 300w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/youtube-secondary-channel-home-page-blank-1280w-720h.jpg 1280w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/youtube-secondary-channel-home-page-blank-840w-472h.jpg 840w" alt="youtube secondary channel home page blank" src="https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/youtube-secondary-channel-home-page-blank.jpg"/> Rita El Khoury / Android Authority

In addition to observe syncing options I discussed above, I hope Pocket book additionally will get just a few further perks. The primary of them is the power to make Audio Overview tracks public and share them with others. This isn’t technically inconceivable, however while you share an Audio Overview with others, you share your complete pocket book with them by default, which additionally means sharing all further notes.

The opposite means round is to obtain tracks as music recordsdata and share them by way of messaging or e-mail apps. However, hey Google, whereas we’re at that, why don’t we share these recordsdata over Bluetooth and fake it’s 2005 once more?

Exchanging tracks with public hyperlinks may also make it simpler to share them on social media and permit conversations round matters as a substitute of limiting them to ourselves. Certainly, a bit strenuous and extreme, as a few of you would possibly argue, however not tough for a knowledge behemoth equivalent to Google.

NotebookLM may gain advantage from implementing social options, like YouTube.

Stressing the social alternatives, it wouldn’t harm for NotebookLM to additionally enable feedback proper inside Audio Overview past our skilled or social circle. It could possibly be the initiation of an interactive and social AI that participates in conversations alongside human customers, learns from these interactions, and makes use of that information for future conversations. And to stop detrimental feedback from evading the essence of the conversations, the house owners of the pocket book may management what to share publicly and what to maintain non-public.

AI must be extra social, and Google can begin with NotebookLM

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Whereas Audio Overview is simply one of many many nice options marketed as part of NotebookLM, I might respect somewhat extra consideration in the direction of it. I even strongly imagine Audio Overview could possibly be finally spun off as a separate product, which may even plug the hole that Google Podcasts left. I used to be personally affected by that as a result of I saved my distance from Spotify and closely relied on Google Podcasts. And whereas YouTube Music has been proposed to succeed it, a separate app could be really appreciated. Implementing these YouTube options I advised above could possibly be step one in that route.

Whereas I’m suggesting these modifications to happen, understanding Google’s fame and proclivity to kill merchandise relatively than iterate and repair them, I additionally know they could by no means be carried out. Nevertheless, that wouldn’t cease me from hoping for my present favourite Google device to be extra helpful than being restricted to serving as a examine assistant or tutor — an id which, I imagine, is curbing NotebookLM’s potential.