Google NotebookLM: Makes a Podcast/Talk Show of a Document or Webpage (e.g. Public BBQ Risotto Post)

neil on 30/12/2024 - 11:37

Haven't seen a discussion on this but Google released NotebookLM a few months ago and is described as:

Our new Audio Overview feature can turn documents, slides, charts and more into engaging discussions with one click.

Of course, I had to put the 'Public' Park Barbecue Rules and wow, an in-depth 10 minute discussion on cooking on public BBQs. Now I need to find some other classic posts to put in there. Google: Public BBQ Podcast (Google Account Req.) or Download the WAV

Supposed be good for learning topics for school by creating a study guide, summing up journal articles, etc. They just added an interactive mode where you can ask a question but haven't gotten it to work. More uses from Android Authority.

Anyone tried this out? Any silly threads we can feed into it?

Internet NotebookLM

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Comments

  • BuyoTheCat on 30/12/2024 - 11:41

    turn JV into a podcast

  • eug on 30/12/2024 - 12:12

    I get "Oops! This audio could not be loaded." when opening the NotebookLM link. Jumpshare works though. Hilarious. And impressive!

  • TheRealCher on 30/12/2024 - 12:16

    if you can focus better on audio than text, it produces… a relatively accurate summary that mimics an engaging discussion. It's very formulaic in what it produces in terms of approximating signs of interest (eg really? that's interesting), and can, if used as a supplementary tool, help with learning key points from a longer document.
    the problem is it's producing content that can be passively consumed and, in doing so, pushes that material into your brain's space for that type of content - other podcasts, youtube videos, chatgpt summaries etc. And for my niece who is under 20, it's still way too long because tik tok.
    So it can be a useful addition to learning/study tools - possibly falling asleep listening to this might be more useful than tucking the textbook under your pillow the night before the exam :-)
    But as with all of these tools, "fluency" is really important - knowing how to use it to get the result you want.
    For instance, if I needed to read a journal article and I struggled with reading, I might get chatgpt to spit out a summary, and listen to this to cover the basics. But that's a first step only - I'd then use something like the read aloud function of word or adobe, and (if this exists - I've seen it online for videos with captions but not mainstreamed into AI products yet) a tool that highlights the words as they're being read. I'd also chunk things into ten minute blocks, maybe with five minutes in between where I'd rest, and come back and write down some notes about what I'd remembered.
    That's for deep learning.

    If it's just to understand an overview, I think it works well and is helpful, but the more familiar you are with the language/replies used by large language models in how they produce their answers, the duller the products are going to become. And that's where the brain can switch off (think about someone who nags you a lot - rarely is the response positive, or their response motivational).

    TLDR: Think about the purpose (why) yr engaging with something which will help you with how you break it down, which will then help you figure out what tools are the most useful for study.

    • eug on 30/12/2024 - 12:18
      +1

      Gemini's summary of the post above:

      NotebookLM's audio summaries are engaging and accurate, but can encourage passive consumption. To maximize learning, combine it with active strategies and other tools based on your learning goals.

  • DingoBilly on 30/12/2024 - 13:08
    +1

    Tried it and was interesting. Generated a 50 minute podcast out of a 5 minute to read webpage on tax, so not sure you're gaining much efficiency.

    It also started off well, but then started making up incorrect information about tax laws. So you can't actually use it seriously for any study or for making serious decisions.

    If they can fix the hallucination problem of AI would be good but my understanding is that's a feature not a bug.

    • eug on 30/12/2024 - 13:11
      +1

      It also started off well, but then started making up incorrect information about tax laws.

      Ahh, so it's too human-like. ;)

  • scotty on 30/12/2024 - 15:24
    +1

    Interested in minimum afford to generate a podcast of "This Week in OzBargain" that talks about the weekly highlights in deals and forum dramas.

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