Google has announced some new updates for its AI-powered note-taking and research app, NotebookLM. These include new interactive features meant to promote active learning and some new public notebooks focusing on high school and college students.
Flashcards are one of the new options coming to the Studio panel. You can use this feature to create study aids from lecture notes, research papers, or work reports. These flashcards can help you memorize key terms, important dates, or core concepts from your sources.
A related feature right next to flashcards is Quizzes. As the name suggests, NotebookLM can throw AI-generated quizzes based on your sources to test your comprehension. You can set the difficulty, customize the topics, and share quizzes with other users using a link.
Google said in a blog post that you can click on the "Explain" button in a flashcard or quiz to learn about it in detail. For instance, it can generate an overview explaining why you gave an incorrect answer for a quiz and provide a citation from your sources.
Flashcards and Quizzes have started rolling out and will reach more users over the coming week.
The Reports feature in NotebookLM has been redesigned and now includes a new "Blog Post" format alongside Briefing Doc and Study Guide. NotebookLM can now suggest report formats based on the theme, industry, or topic of the sources you upload.
For instance, you can "upload a draft of a short story and NotebookLM might suggest a character analysis or a detailed critique of the plot," Google said. You can also create your own report by typing a prompt.
The search giant has also baked a new option called "Learning Guide" for the chat section. It"s like a personal tutor that can ask open-ended questions and help break down complex problems step-by-step.
Learning Guide will be available to all users starting next week. You shouldn"t confuse the option with the Study Guide, which is a different NotebookLM feature that can create structured guides from uploaded sources.
After launching a set of featured notebooks collection earlier this year, Google has now partnered with OpenStax to offer public notebooks around various subjects, including Chemistry, Biology, AP Biology, Introduction to Business, Principles of Management, and Psychology.
Apart from that, we previously reported that Google has recently started rolling out new formats for Audio Overviews. You can switch to the Debate or Critique format to have the AI hosts offer constructive feedback and discuss different perspectives on your topics.