Anyone who has been following along with the artificial intelligence boom of the past few years has likely heard of and used it Google NotebookLMan academically oriented researcher based solely on the sources you identify. In particular, it is a brilliant use of Gemini’s big data management capabilities at the individual level, combined with tools such as Audio Views, Interactive Mode and Flashcard generation.
However, even if you are out of college, NotebookLM is very useful. In the past year alone, I’ve used it to find overused words in all the articles I’ve written, to sharpen an elevator pitch for my friend’s startup, and to teach myself how to re-sharpen the nib of a fountain pen. Of all these uses, I find one non-research application the most interesting: giving voice to my complex user manuals.
Basic: asking for information without feedback
Being unbiased is next to impossible
Most of the time I need an answer to a certain question and using the internet has instantly absorbed the instinct of Googling for it. Google won’t let you down when you search for definitions like “M.2 2280 SSD” or anything with a single, definitively correct answer. Chances are AI summary it will contain everything you need to know. Follow this up with a reading from a knowledgeable source, such as a dictionary for a definition or a forum post for more technical topics, and your question will be answered in less than a minute.
Unfortunately, I cannot say the same for more technical topics and questions about procedures, processes and techniques. You see, every subject matter expert who has been doing something like “cleaning a computer” for decades has inevitably developed their own efficient method depending on the resources available, the time available, and the scale of the task at hand. But I, sitting on the other side of the Google search results, still have to read four or five web pages about this method to understand the variables and adapt them to my needs, such as a can of compressed air or Re-gluing the CPU.
This information is usually provided by opinion rather than by a book. It doesn’t hurt to follow best practices learned in some scenarios, like applying thermal paste when reattaching the heat spreader, but in a hobby like photography, I want to find an option that keeps my current camera settings as presets instead of a 10 minute video of someone talking about what they think are the best camera settings.
Solution: NotebookLM makes the tutorials interactive
It’s like talking to a book as if it were sentient
When information is needed directly from the source, the manufacturer’s manual is usually the most reliable source. Everything from cameras to cars comes in one, and feeding them NotebookLM is a surefire way to bypass the mind-boggling best practice guides and manuals for something as simple as dusting the image sensor or changing the oil in your car. All I do is download the manual or documentation for each product I need help with and then ask the chat section about my specific request.
In the rare case that AI struggles to provide a convincing, well-interpreted answer, I can use internal source discovery tools to find more relevant information from well-informed academic sources, rather than the typical click-bait looking to make a quick buck from ad revenue without adding much value. This is rarely needed because product manuals tell you the right way to do things, setting the stage for practice optimization where you improve your technique based on learning as you go.
For example, I had quite a bit of trouble when I first tried astrophotography. So I just fed NotebookLM, NASA’s guide to smartphone astrophotography, and the user manual of my Sony mirrorless camera. Google AI has adapted the beginner-friendliness of NASA’s guide to the added convenience of using a camera instead of a smartphone. Focus inquiries helped me understand how the aperture control on my camera improved my ability to gather more light than a fixed-aperture smartphone. The text was well annotated and based on purely technical facts. I thoroughly enjoy the freedom of interrogating documents in this way, as if it were a sentient being that could speak to me. Setting up new cameras for specific shooting scenarios is also very easy with NotebookLM at your side.
Add to that the plethora of Studio tools that NotebookLM includes even at the free tier. There were only five when the project started, now there are almost 10, and customization is built into every option. I can adjust the length and focus of Audio Views, hear it in the language of my choice, and pause the podcast-style playback to question the presenters in real time. Not so flawless and informative Gemini Livebut very helpful with the anti-hallucination shields your curated source list provides. That way, I can always listen to a podcast about Aperture Priority mode on my camera and then pause at any time to ask if I can manually lock the ISO settings. With Flash Cards, I can also make cheat sheets that look at how to use these types of features.
Mind Maps aren’t the best organized yet, but they help break down complex topics or group groups from my camera guide into logical groups. Thus, in the generated map, you can see individual parameters displayed on the basics, such as exposure, shutter speed and ISO, but expanding branches allows you to create your own on a single sheet. I hope Google will soon allow you to click and drag to reposition mind map nodes in NotebookLM. Perhaps most importantly, I can test my knowledge of concepts I understand using the Quiz option in the Studio sidebar.
Go beyond simple research
NotebookLM was created to help academics research topics, but integrated source discovery, a chatbot, and several Studio tools make this Google AI utility even more versatile. Even at the free level, it’s great for querying texts through citations, structuring disorganized content, and managing complex projects. The only limits to its applications are the things you think AI can’t do.
