Google just added a new customization tool for AI viral podcasts in your NotebookLM software. I got early access and tried it using Franz Kafka. The metamorphosis as source material, spending a few hours generating podcasts about the seminal novel, some of them crazier than others.
Launched by Google Labs in 2023 as an experimental writing tool focused on artificial intelligence, NotebookLM has enjoyed a resurgence of user interest since early September, when developers added an option to generate podcast conversations between two AI voices (one male and one female) from uploaded documents. While these audio “deep dives” can be used for study and productivity, many of the viral clips online focused on the entertainment factor of asking host robots to discuss strange or very personal original documents, such as a LinkedIn profile.
Raiza Martin, who leads the NotebookLM team within Google Labs, is excited to give users more control over the content of these synthetic podcasts. “It’s the number one feature we’ve heard people request,” he says. “They want to provide a little feedback on what the deep dive is focused on.” According to Martin, this is the first update of many to come.
Approaching the first anniversary of his full releaseNotebookLM is also dropping the “experimental” label, a sign that it’s not headed toward perpetual google cemetery of abandoned software, or at least for now. Martin says this label was removed because the team met internal milestones for overall quality, user retention, and interface standards. It also says that users can now expect a higher level of software stability.
How to customize AI podcasts
To create an AI podcast using NotebookLM, open the Google Labs website and start a New notebook. Then, add any source documents you want to use for the audio output. These can be anything from files on your computer to YouTube links.
Then, by clicking on the notebook guideYou will now see the option to generate a deep dive, as well as the option to customize it first. Choose Personalize and add your message about how you would like the AI podcast to come out. The software suggests that you consider which sections of the sources you would like to highlight, broader themes you want to explore further, or different audiences you want the message to reach.
One tip Martin shares for trying out the new feature is to output the audio overview unchanged, and while listening to this first version, write down any burning questions you have or topics you want to expand on. Then, use these notes as a launching pad to create your NotebookLM prompts and regenerate that AI podcast with your interests in mind.
My first impressions
I uploaded an 80-page file of Kafka’s famous work of existential literature (in it, the main character wakes up one morning and discovers that he has turned into a gigantic insect) to see how the customization will work for NotebookLM users. The first audio overview it generated, without quick customization, was a solid, if broad, overview of what happens in the novel, as well as a discussion of its key themes. Nothing innovative, but decent.
Thinking as a college nerd studying English, which I definitely was, my first quick adjustment was to have the podcast discussion focus more on the themes of alienation and pervasive bureaucracy found in the book. With an extra push, this result from NotebookLM did an admirable job of focusing on these reasons and generating a discussion that sounded similar to what I had heard before in college classrooms. It was a little meandering, but totally listenable.
