Generative AI could also be each essentially the most helpful and essentially the most mystifying instrument of our modern-tech period.
The issue—except for all of the endlessly documented issues around accuracy—is that generative AI typically appears to operate in a DOS-like clean immediate kind. The onus is squarely on you to determine what to ask and how one can put these saucy techniques to make use of.
That black-box feeling is very obvious once you have a look at NotebookLM, an “AI-first pocket book” launched by Google nearly two years ago. The thought behind NotebookLM is that you just add your personal supply supplies inside fastidiously confined notebooks, and you’ll then lean on Google’s Gemini AI to work together with that materials in all sorts of illuminating ways.
Since every pocket book is proscribed solely to no matter supply supplies you provide, the prevalence of these pesky hallucinations appears to be much less of a difficulty. And since every thing inside your NotebookLM notebooks is saved utterly non-public—not even used for any method of AI mannequin coaching, in accordance with Google—you possibly can join it to all types of topics and use it to achieve a stage of deep perception that was by no means earlier than so simply accessible.
However once more, there’s the black field problem. Whenever you first pull up NotebookLM, it’s robust to know the place to start and how one can work together with the factor in sensible, approachable methods. At the same time as somebody who writes about know-how for a dwelling and has spent extra time than most mortals occupied with this service, I spotted I hadn’t solely discovered how one can use it in a approach that may genuinely be useful in my day-to-day life.
So I challenged myself to dig deep, get past all of the conceptual pleasure, and provide you with a collection of real-world use circumstances for NotebookLM that any common human may each recognize and emulate. I’ve acquired 15 super-specific situations, all tried and examined, during which the bogus intelligence reply machine might be helpful for you.
Comply with this highway map and see which path holds essentially the most promise out of your perspective.
1. Your on-demand product reply machine
Up first is a chance that’s supremely easy but full of productivity potential: Create a brand new NotebookLM pocket book known as “Product Manuals.” Then, each time you buy a brand new equipment or machine of some type, search the net for a PDF model of its handbook and add it into the pocket book.
In the event you actually wish to get wild, embody a picture of any guarantee playing cards, too.
Then, anytime you could know something about these merchandise—how some a part of them works, how one can repair one thing that’s gone awry, or if and the way you’re eligible for a warranty-related restore—simply fireplace up that very same NotebookLM pocket book and ask, ask, ask away.
2. Your on the spot automotive assist system
Subsequent, attempt utilizing NotebookLM to assist wrangle the most costly gadget you personal. Do the same internet seek for your present car’s proprietor handbook, then drop it into its personal NotebookLM pocket book with the car’s title because the title. Repeat for any further autos you personal and any new ones you buy down the highway.
After lately buying and selling in our outdated minivan for a hybrid Honda CR-V, my spouse and I wasted far an excessive amount of time flipping by the car’s paper handbook to attempt to determine what some random button on the dashboard did.
Later, after downloading a PDF of the handbook from Honda’s web site after which importing it into NotebookLM, it took me all of 10 seconds to achieve the identical reply—just by asking.
Lesson discovered.
3. An interactive automotive upkeep journal
Whereas we’re occupied with vehicles, each time you go to the mechanic, snap a photograph of the service receipt and add it right into a NotebookLM pocket book created particularly for that one car.
You may make it much more helpful by importing the identical proprietor’s handbook you discovered a second in the past into that pocket book, too.
Doing so offers you two very sensible advantages:
- First, anytime a query comes up about what work you’ve had accomplished on the car or when a sure restore came about, you possibly can simply pull up that pocket book and ask.
- Second, with the handbook and its directions there alongside all your historical past, you possibly can deliver the 2 sources of information collectively to ask NotebookLM focused questions that take the producer’s steering and your previous providers into consideration—like, as an illustration, when you need to rotate your tires subsequent or what different prospects you ought to be occupied with at your subsequent oil change appointment.
And on a associated observe . . .
4. An interactive house upkeep journal
Begin a NotebookLM pocket book for your home, then add each bill and estimate you get for a house restore in addition to each receipt from a brand new equipment buy.
Everytime you subsequent must know when, precisely, your roof was changed or in what 12 months you bought your present furnace—and even what model and mannequin it’s—you’ll have a single easy place to ask and get solutions.
And that’s a heck of lots simpler than having an overflowing folder of various outdated papers to sift by in each such situation.
5. Your private firm wiki
Does the corporate you run, or possibly simply work for, have extra handbook-type information than any fairly sane human may presumably ingest and keep in mind? In that case, use a devoted NotebookLM pocket book to retailer all of it—guides, paperwork, working procedures, even lists of contacts for various departments and functions.
From that second ahead, when a query comes up about how one thing is meant to work or whom you’re speculated to contact for some specific objective, your reply won’t ever be greater than a single fast query away.
6. Your instruction-expert wizard
Why restrict your self to work, upkeep, and home equipment? With something that has an instruction handbook concerned, dump a digital model of the doc into its personal NotebookLM pocket book—even for board video games. The subsequent time any sort of query comes up associated to these directions, you’ve acquired a quick and efficient option to get solutions.
7. A contract deposit field
Whether or not you’re a freelancer juggling new contracts each month, an worker signing a brand new settlement annually, or an employer asking dozens of employees to signal your ever-evolving paperwork, making a centralized repository for all of your contracts generally is a actual time-saver sooner or later.
Want to recollect once you final signed one thing with a selected particular person or supplier? Undecided what the phrases of some settlement required—or when a selected doc expires?
Regardless of the case could also be, as soon as the information’s all in NotebookLM, you’ve all the time acquired a straightforward place to ask—and let the system discover the reply for you.
8. Your assembly reminiscence
Offered you’re utilizing one thing to file vital conferences—be it a general-purpose AI-powered note-taker, a video-call-specific summarizer, or an app designed to take notes during regular audio calls—that historical past will probably be rather more helpful in the event you deliver it over to a NotebookLM pocket book.
With such a system in place, you possibly can merely go to NotebookLM and ask focused questions on any of your previous conferences as an alternative of getting to dig by the transcripts individually.
9. An interview inquiry station
Whereas we’re occupied with transcripts, in the event you conduct any sort of interviews—with job candidates, as a journalist, or for another objective—take every transcript and create a NotebookLM particularly for it. (Or, in case you have a bunch of associated interviews, put them multi function pocket book.)
Add both the audio or the textual content, relying on what’s out there, after which take the chance to ask NotebookLM questions on your dialog—be they particular (like what the particular person mentioned about some specific subject) or broad (like asking NotebookLM what fascinating quotes got here up throughout the interview that you just may need missed).
You’ll clearly nonetheless wish to check with the total transcript at instances—and to double-check the accuracy of any quote you’re really citing anyplace—however it may be a useful option to discover one thing quick when you possibly can’t keep in mind the precise phrases concerned or to stumble onto one thing you may need in any other case glossed over.
10. An clever suggestions interpreter
If your online business depends on any method of suggestions to information its operations, do your self a favor and create a NotebookLM pocket book the place you possibly can add these outcomes—as spreadsheets or in no matter kind they take. From opinions to survey responses, you’ll then be capable of ask NotebookLM to assist summarize the important thing themes and traits, select recurring optimistic or essential responses, and even discover significantly memorable quotes for potential testimonial use.
11. Your efficiency overview reviewer
For anybody managing worker efficiency, NotebookLM generally is a main asset. Create a person pocket book for every worker and place all their efficiency opinions there—then, when the time comes for the following evaluation, you’ll have a straightforward option to revisit previous highlights to establish traits and supply context for comparability.
12. A monetary actuality checker
Offered you’re comfy with the notion, NotebookLM can flip up some actually fascinating insights by analyzing issues like your tax returns, financial institution statements, and bank card statements over time. (For what it’s value, Google is explicit about the fact that it doesn’t in any approach entry, share, or use any information uploaded into NotebookLM—even for AI mannequin coaching.)
With that kind of information in its personal devoted pocket book, you possibly can ask NotebookLM to provide you an outline of your spending habits, to establish areas the place you may reduce or doubtlessly be eligible for added tax advantages, and to floor different such pointers which you can then examine extra completely by yourself or with an accounting skilled.
13. An audio-video studying useful resource
Ever end up working into interesting-looking movies or podcasts and simply not having the time or inclination to sit down by them of their entirety?
Make your self a NotebookLM pocket book known as “Audio-Video,” then drop a hyperlink to any YouTube video or audio clip you encounter into that space. You’ll be able to then ask NotebookLM for the excessive factors—or for any particular information you’re trying to discover—from any of the clips individually and even collectively.
14. An elevated studying record
NotebookLM generally is a unbelievable option to accumulate hyperlinks you wish to learn for later revisiting. With a pocket book known as “Studying Listing,” you possibly can see all the textual content of any article whose URL you add in, proper then and there and in a stripped-down and simplified format—and you’ll ask NotebookLM for details about, and even summaries of, any or all your saved hyperlinks, too:
- What was that article I saved from New York some time again?
- Give me crucial takeaways from that Quick Firm piece I saved on privateness the opposite day.
- I’m by no means going to meet up with every thing I saved this week. Present me a abstract of all of the articles I added over the previous seven days.
You get the thought.
And at last . . .
15. Your calendar companion
Get an entire new stage of perception into the way you’re spending your time and what’s really gone down in your calendar by exporting your full calendar historical past, after which importing it into NotebookLM—the place you possibly can create a customized pocket book to work together with it.
In Google Calendar, that is as simple as clicking the gear-shaped icon within the desktop web site’s upper-right nook, deciding on “Settings,” then clicking “Import & export” within the left-of-screen facet menu and clicking the “Export” choice.
You’ll then must take the ensuing .ics file and convert it into plain textual content—which you are able to do in a matter of seconds with a free conversion website like this one.
Lastly, with the ensuing .txt file in a NotebookLM observe, attempt asking questions on something from what number of conferences you attended over a given time interval to what number of hours you spent on the physician’s workplace final 12 months. You may also ask for particular information akin to how usually, on common, you get haircuts or how lengthy it’s been because you final had a job interview.
~
google-notebooklm-calendar.jpg
You could be stunned on the varieties of insights you uncover together with your calendar information in NotebookLM’s metaphorical arms.
~
The chances are virtually infinite—and all you’ve gotta do is ask.
For much more sensible productiveness discoveries, check out my free Cool Tools newsletter—a single new tech treasure in your inbox each Wednesday.
