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Notebook LM Overview

Sep 17, 2025

Overview

This lecture introduces Notebook LM, a Google tool powered by Gemini AI, designed for efficiently learning and synthesizing information from multiple, diverse sources such as books, PDFs, websites, and videos.

What is Notebook LM?

  • Notebook LM is an AI-powered research tool developed by Google using Gemini models.
  • Unlike other AI chat tools, Notebook LM can handle larger and more varied source materials.
  • It is designed to reduce AI hallucinations by restricting responses to uploaded sources.

Key Features of Notebook LM

  • Supports adding up to 300 sources with a Pro account; free accounts allow up to 50 sources per notebook.
  • Accepts PDFs, audio files, Drive files, text, YouTube videos, and website URLs.
  • Organizes workspace into three panels: source upload, chat/interact with sources, and content generation.

Working with Sources

  • Users can individually add, select, or remove sources for targeted research.
  • You can chat with the AI, asking questions about the material; answers are sourced with precise citations.
  • AI provides source-specific answers and does not extrapolate beyond uploaded materials.

Content Generation & Study Tools

  • Generates multiple outputs: audio summaries, video summaries, mind maps, timelines, summary documents, study guides, FAQs, quizzes, and glossaries.
  • Customizable conversation style (e.g., analyst, guide) and response length.
  • Notes can be saved, grouped, and converted into new sources for further exploration.

Usage Scenarios & Limits

  • Useful for academic research, article writing, or synthesizing knowledge from many formats.
  • Free version: 100 notebooks, 50 sources per notebook, 500,000 words/source, 50 daily queries, 3 audio/video generations/day.
  • Pro version: 500 notebooks, 300 sources/notebook, 500 queries, 20 audio/video generations/day.

Key Terms & Definitions

  • AI Hallucination — When AI generates content not based on the actual provided sources.
  • Context Window — The amount of information the AI can actively "remember" during processing.
  • Source — Any file, link, or document uploaded to Notebook LM for analysis.
  • Content Generation — AI-created outputs like summaries, guides, quizzes, or multimedia content based on selected sources.

Action Items / Next Steps

  • Try setting up a notebook in Notebook LM with varied sources.
  • Practice using chat and content generation features.
  • Review free vs. Pro account capabilities and limits.