Should you’re trying to impress family and friends, maybe it’s best to ship them a hyperlink to a podcast all about you. However what if nobody has recorded such a podcast? No drawback. Due to NotebookLM, an AI device from Google, you’ll be able to have a pair of professionally sounding podcast hosts extol your virtues for a number of minutes.
The AI generated hosts don’t have names, however they’re a female and male group who sound nice and did an incredible job describing my attributes in ways in which virtually made me blush. In my case, I pasted within the net deal with of my on-line bio, however you too can load in PDFs, YouTube movies, audio recordsdata, Google Docs or Google Slides.
Should you load an internet deal with, the 2 pretend hosts not solely speak about what they realized out of your bio, however additionally they take a look at your complete web site. I realized this by giving it hyperlinks to 2 virtually an identical bios. The one hosted on Larrysworld.com, my private web site, included references to a lot of my newspaper articles. The one at ConnectSafely.org targeted primarily on my and the group’s on-line security work.
The pretend hosts introduced some humor into the dialog, sort of making enjoyable of a number of the issues the AI realized about me from my web site. Additionally they went into some tangents that made them sound like reside podcast hosts.
Comparability
To get a way on the way it may describe somebody in a really totally different kind of job, I downloaded a pattern resume of an electrician. The 2 pretend hosts mentioned that they had been basing their podcast on his resume. They supplied a optimistic spin on his {qualifications} whereas speaking a bit about their very own struggles with electrical issues.
Like my bio, this podcast was based mostly on the fabric loaded, which, in each circumstances, was printed by the particular person being described. These pretend hosts apparently didn’t do lateral analysis to seek out out if the knowledge was true.
When you generate the podcast, you’ll be able to obtain it as an MP3 file and share it with others. Should you do, ultimately inform the listeners that it’s generated by AI. Other than ethics and honesty, the identical two pretend hosts are used for each podcast. They sound actual, however ultimately listeners will determine that they’re not.
You possibly can attempt NotebookLM at no cost at notebooklm.google.
Sensible makes use of
In addition to being a parlor trick, there are some sensible makes use of for this device. I loaded in a Google slide deck and heard the pretend hosts give me an correct abstract. And even the bios – whereas obsequious, had been true to what the AI device gleaned from the supply materials, though that doesn’t imply that the supply materials was correct.
I additionally pasted within the deal with of a PDF from the Pew Analysis web site on a latest survey concerning the public’s opinion on President-elect Trump’s plans for the nation. The AI-generated podcast, which went on for 14 minutes, was based mostly on the info gleaned from the survey report, however the pretend hosts additionally added their evaluation. They coated each optimistic and detrimental features of Trump’s traits, particularly as perceived by the general public, in line with the survey outcomes.
NotebookLM additionally supplied written supplies that had been extra in-depth and helpful to anybody wishing to know the the survey. This included a 115-word abstract and AI-generated pages on key subjects, post-election “views on Trump and the nation,” “public confidence in a smooth transition,” amongst different subjects.
Primarily based on the PDF, NotebookLM additionally allowed me to create a FAQ, a research information, a desk of contents, a timeline and a briefing doc. The research information requested questions on key parts of the doc and supplied solutions based mostly on the PDF. The timeline targeted on the occasions main as much as and following the 2024 U.S. presidential election, based mostly on the knowledge within the doc. The 740-word briefing doc coated key themes.
In case you’re questioning, it concluded that “Republicans welcome Trump’s victory with enthusiasm, Democrats view it with deep apprehension.”
Solutions your questions
Along with the fabric it supplies, you too can ask questions concerning the doc. What I like about that is that the solutions to your questions are based mostly on what’s within the doc, in contrast to many generative AIO instruments that pull from your complete net. The truth that the knowledge may be very restricted is each a bug and a function. It’s a bug, as a result of there’s a good probability you gained’t get a solution. It’s a function, as a result of what you get is predicated on the doc or webpage you’re analyzing, so when you belief that supply, you’re extra more likely to get a solution you’ll be able to belief. Having mentioned that, NotebookLM does interpret solutions if it doesn’t know them, but it surely clearly discloses the distinction between what it is aware of from the doc and what it’s inferring from it.
Wants work
NotebookLM is in its infancy and desires work. For one factor, the consumer interface on each the online and a smartphone is a bit complicated. I needed to click on round a couple of occasions to seek out what I wanted, together with the flexibility to generate that podcast or discover abstract info. Additionally, like all generative AI merchandise, it’s not infallible. There’s a disclaimer on each web page that “NotebookLM can make mistakes, so double-check it.” Regardless of its tough edges, that is really a outstanding device and a great instance of how generative AI can lengthen past the preliminary provides from OpenAI, Microsoft and Google.
Disclosure: Larry Magid is CEO of ConnectSafely, a nonprofit web security group that receives monetary assist from Google and different corporations, together with a few of Google’s opponents.
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