A few months ago, Google's notepad app NotebookLM debuted an audio summary feature that uses an AI virtual host to generate podcasts based on the information you share with the app.
Currently, NotebookLM is rolling out features that allow users to interact with an AI podcast host.
The idea behind audio summaries and AI hosts is to give users new ways to digest and understand information in documents they upload to the app, such as course readings or legal summaries.
With this new feature, you can talk to your AI host to ask for more information or explain a concept in a different way. Google said in a blog post that the experience is like having a tutor who listens to you and responds based on knowledge from the sources you provide.
To use this new feature, first create a new audio summary, tap the new “Interactive Mode (Beta)” button, then click play. If you want to ask a question, tap Participate from there. The host will then call you to speak.
Google says this is an experimental feature and only works with new audio summaries. Additionally, the company notes that the host may “pause awkwardly before responding” and that this is a testing feature, so it may respond inaccurately from time to time.
Google says people have generated more than 350 years' worth of audio summaries since the feature launched in September.
NotebookLM has also undergone a redesign that reorganizes the app's tools across three panels: Source, Chat, and Studio. Additionally, Google is rolling out a premium version of its enterprise app called “NotebookLM Plus” that introduces additional benefits.