NotebookLM is a powerful AI based tool from Google. It’s a very good and underrated AI-based tool that can do a lot more than you can think. The tool is mainly popular for providing its users with detailed podcast audio based on the uploaded file. But that’s not all it can do.
NotebookLM can be a very powerful and useful companion for students and professionals. It can do multiple tasks such as generating summaries of the document/book uploaded, providing detailed and concise answers to your questions, well-famous podcast generation capability and much more. Let’s look at the top practical ways to use this immensely powerful AI tool.
How to upload files/notes on NotebookLM?
Before moving on to our final steps and the ways to use NotebookLM, let’s have a look at how to upload the files. Because this is an important section you basically cannot do anything without the source file. Here’s the step-by-step guide on how to upload files on NotebookLM.
Step 1: Go to NotebookLM’s official website and click on the “Try NotebookLM” button.
Step 2: Now click on the “Create” button.
Step 3: A prompt will open to upload the source. You can either upload the PDF file of your source or add a link to it. You can also use other options like uploading from Drive or manually pasting the content. You can also upload multiple sources.
(For reference, we are using a short PDF content called “The Human: Basic Psychology Principles by OHS Body of Knowledge).
That was it. You have now uploaded your source to the NotebookLM. Let’s now look into the best ways to use it.
NotebookLM for Generating Podcast
The most hyped feature of the NotebookLM is its audio podcast generation capability. If you want to listen to or know about your source in the form of a podcast, then this tool will not disappoint you. It creates a two-person podcast using the source file. You can also ask it to include or explain a certain portion of the source in detail. Let’s see how!
Step 1: Go to the page where you uploaded your source. Alternatively, you can go to the main website and click on the title of your source to access it.
Step 2: Under the “Audio Overview” section, you will get two buttons. Click on “Generate” if you want a basic podcast and click on “Customize” if you want some adjustments in the final output. We are proceeding with the “Generate” button.
Step 3: Wait for a few minutes before the AI presents you with the audio file of the podcast. This may take some time since it will evaluate the source in detail.
Step 4: Once the file is generated, you can download it locally or can also share it with others with the link.
For Getting Your Queries/Questions Answered
Another way the NotebookLM can be useful is to get your unresolved questions answered. Well, tools like ChatGPT and Gemini can also do that but they provide generalized answers and NotebookLM will provide you with the answers only related to the source you uploaded.
Step 1: Go to the NotebookLM’s main page.
Step 2: In the prompt menu, write your question and hit the “Arrow” button present next to it. Make sure to give detailed prompts for more accurate answers. (For reference: I asked, “What’s the difference between a Psychiatrist and a Psychologist? Explain in simple words.)
Step 3: The tool will now provide you with a detailed answer. You can further cross-question or ask for an explanation of the terms.
Other Useful Purposes
Apart from these two things, you can use the NotebookLM tool for other purposes as well. You can use the tool for creating summaries from your notes, can use it to create short notes, table of contents etc. All you have to do is – enter a concise prompt in the dialogue box and hit enter. Be clear with your prompt to get the best response possible.
Students can use this tool to solve their specific questions and create notes, while professionals can use the tool to create audio podcasts and to create timelines from the source material. This tool can very well turn out to be a companion of yours using which you can speed up your work and maybe get more productive.
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