Google’s NotebookLM now lets users engage with AI-generated podcast hosts.
Users can join podcasts, personalize the discussions and voices of AI hosts, and unlock additional features with NotebookLM Plus.
Soon, NotebookLM may be directly integrated into Google Gemini on Android, broadening its reach and capabilities.
The age of artificial intelligence is firmly taking hold in the tech industry, bringing both groundbreaking tools and some questionable projects. Gemini, Google’s next-gen multimodal AI assistant, was launched almost a year ago as a rebranded version of Google Bard and has since become a key focus for the company. Positioned to replace Google Assistant as Android’s primary helper, it has been integrated into Google Workspace, making it ubiquitous. However, if you want to experience Audio Overviews—an innovative yet slightly eerie all-AI podcast feature—you’ll need to head over to NotebookLM. Google continues to refine this feature, recently adding a new way to interact with the AI hosts.
Today, Google introduced a new feature within NotebookLM that lets users participate in AI-generated podcasts and “converse” with the hosts. After generating a podcast, users can activate Interactive Mode and tap the “Join” button. This triggers the hosts to call on you, similar to a call-in segment on a sports talk radio show. Additionally, a revamped interface with three panels aims to streamline content management and generation within the app. Lastly, individuals and organizations can now subscribe to NotebookLM Plus, which offers five times more Audio Overviews, notebooks, and sources per notebook, enhanced Audio Customization options, and added security, privacy, and analytics for its users.