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AI #4 – Google’s Must-See NotebookLM
Truly Usable AI for Documents
Google is behind in the AI race (hard to believe, I know), with OpenAI’s ChatGPT leading the pack.
But, have you checked out NotebookLM? The capabilities are mind blowing. You should give it a try. Find a document or PDF which made you think “ugh, I don’t have time to read this thing.” Hop over to NotebookLM and upload the doc. instead.
Even Cuts Through Insurance Legalese
A perfect use-case for NotebookLM came up for me recently. After starting a new job a couple months ago, lots of mail started showing up. One letter was a dense 5-pager full of insurance legalese. Do I need to do anything? Is the insurer telling me there is a problem? Who knows? And who really wants to sit down and read every lengthy form letter that comes in the mail?
So I simply scanned that letter and uploaded it to NotebookLM. The first thing I got was a quick overview summary of the document. NotebookLM can do this whether it’s five or 95 pages. See the nearby image for my insurance example. Next, I was able to “ask” the document questions. So I asked if I needed to take any actions. I also asked if there was a problem I needed to deal with. Both came back with clear explanations that I did not need to take any action and reasons why.
And a “Podcast” Too?
If that wasn’t enough, NotebookLM will also create a podcast for you. Yep. A podcast.
After ingesting file attachments, NotebookLM has an optional feature which creates a podcast-style discussion. Two people “discuss” the content of your document, providing thoughtful summaries and highlighting special areas of focus. I’ve tested it many times and found it especially useful to review lengthy content while driving.
The voices are realistic-sounding, with one male and one female. They casually discuss your content like intelligent, informed people. They even include human ticks, like “umm” and raising and lowering of volume.
Amazing.
Give it a try at notebooklm.google.com and let me know what you think.