Google is set to launch a new Large Language Model (LLM) called NotebookLM, designed to assist users in organizing their cluttered Google Docs accounts. The purpose of this tool is to generate concise summaries of documents, providing users with a better understanding of their content while leaving the original files intact for reference.
Let’s say you are a college student who hastily typed notes into a Google Docs file without structuring the page carefully. NotebookLM comes to your rescue by creating a short summary of your work, allowing you to grasp the main ideas at a glance. The AI also offers “key topics and questions” based on the summary, further enhancing your comprehension of the material. What’s more, this tool can pull information from multiple sources, not just limited to a single document.
Much like Google’s other generative AI, Bard, NotebookLM is interactive. You can ask it specific questions to guide its response. For instance, if you have an article about neuroscience, you can instruct the AI to extract “key terms related to dopamine” from that piece.
Beyond summarization, NotebookLM has broader applications. Content creators can provide the LLM with an idea for a new video, and it will draft a script accordingly. Likewise, business professionals can rely on the AI to generate questions for investors’ meetings.
However, there is a significant concern regarding the tool’s reliability. NotebookLM has the potential to generate false information, despite using your personal Google Docs account as the primary source. Google advises users to cross-check the generated responses against the original material and assures that if multiple sources are used, citations will be provided for transparency.
Currently, NotebookLM is in a limited release phase as experimental technology. Users can sign up for the waitlist on the Google Labs website and will be notified via email when a spot becomes available. Google encourages fortunate early adopters to provide feedback, which will aid in refining the AI’s performance.
NotebookLM was first unveiled at Google I/O 2023 under the codename “Project Tailwind.” The event showcased various upcoming devices and software, most of which have already been released, with a few exceptions. For example, the Universal Translator, an “AI video dubbing service” for real-time speech translation, and the Sidekick panel, a Google Docs feature for creating text prompts while writing, are still awaited, with limited information available to the public.
