NotebookLM has a new interface with three panels: Sources, Chat, and Studio.
Users can now interact with AI hosts during Audio Overviews.
NotebookLM Plus offers a premium experience with increased limits and features.
Google's AI-powered research assistant, NotebookLM, has received a significant update, enhancing its capabilities and user experience. Millions of users rely on NotebookLM for studying and making informed decisions, and now, these users will benefit from a redesigned interface, interactive audio features, and a new premium subscription option called NotebookLM Plus. The tool now incorporates Gemini 2.0 Flash, Google’s latest AI model, further boosting its performance.
The new interface is designed to streamline workflows, organizing NotebookLM into three distinct panels: Sources, Chat, and Studio. The Sources panel allows users to manage all their project-related information, while the Chat panel enables discussions with an AI interface, complete with citations. The Studio panel is where users can create new content such as study guides, briefing documents, and Audio Overviews. This new design makes it easier to switch between managing, reading, and generating content within a unified space.
A standout feature of this update is the ability to interact with AI hosts during Audio Overviews. Users can now "join" the conversation, asking the hosts for more details or alternative explanations using their voice. This feature transforms the passive listening experience into a dynamic and personalized learning session, like having a personal tutor. To use this feature, create a new Audio Overview, tap the Interactive mode (BETA) button, and then tap "Join" to ask a question. It's important to note that this is an experimental feature and may include occasional awkward pauses or inaccuracies.
For power users, teams, and enterprises, Google is launching NotebookLM Plus. This premium subscription offers significantly increased limits, including five times more Audio Overviews, notebooks, and sources per notebook. Subscribers also gain the ability to customize the style and length of their notebook responses. In addition, NotebookLM Plus provides shared team notebooks with usage analytics, and enhanced privacy and security. It will be available through Google Workspace and Google Cloud and will be included in Google One AI Premium in early 2025.
These updates demonstrate Google’s commitment to enhancing NotebookLM into a more interactive, flexible, and secure platform. Whether you are an individual user or part of a large team, these new features are designed to improve efficiency and innovation in how you manage information. You can also check our previous post about Unlocking NotebookLM: Your Easy Start to Effective Use and Tips to get started with the tool.
