The current AI landscape is, in a word, overwhelming. Every day, three new tools launch, two others pivot, and the “best” model changes before you’ve even finished your morning coffee.

This “hyper evolution” makes it incredibly tempting to keep chasing the next shiny object, (note to self) but there is a cost to that, you become a jack of all trades and a master of none.

The best way to get real value from AI both in your career and studies isn’t by dabbling in everything, it’s by picking one powerful tool and getting exceptionally good at it.

If you’re just starting out or want to see what all the fuss is about, by all means, spend some time playing with ChatGPT, Gemini or Claude. They are all excellent tools for learning and can give you a valuable insight into how LLMs work and what they can do. But there will come a point when the hard work of learning has to start, and that’s where NotebookLM can really help.

NotebookLM audio overview
Rather than reading this blog why not listen to a short summary or a long form deep dive between two people. Complements of NotebookLM, I think you will be impressed.

Short summary

Deepdive debate

What is NotebookLM?
NotebookLM is an AI powered research and study assistant from Google designed to focus exclusively on the documents you provide. Unlike standard LLM’s that take information from the internet, NotebookLM only searches for answers in specific sources, PDFs, notes, or videos etc. This approach reduces hallucinations to between 10% – 15% and ensures that every summary, study guide or explanation is both accurate and directly cited from your data. Furthermore, it offers a higher level of security, as your uploaded documents remain private and are not shared with others.

See for yourself – This video highlights several key features, showing how NotebookLM can automatically turn your notes into helpful study aids such as audio podcasts, interactive quizzes, flashcards, and even short summary videos. It also walks you through the practical steps of setting up a notebook, generating different types of content, and sharing your work with others.

How to use NotebookLM
The video explains some of the features and gives a good overview but it’s worth taking a deep dive into each of them with examples as to how each feature might help you learn more effectively..

Audio Overview: Generates a conversational, podcast style discussion based on your resources. Best for – Listening to your notes or a long article while commuting or exercising. This can provide you with a high level overview of the information, which may be sufficient on its own or help you better navigate the article when you read it in full.

Video Overview: Creates a short summary with AI-generated narration and relevant images Think of it as your personal tutor who when you get stuck on something can help. Best for – Simplifying complex subjects through clear, narrated explanations and visual illustrations.

Mind Map: Visually organises the key concepts and connections found within your documents. Best for – Gaining an overview of a subject before diving into the detail. You can upload all the chapter headings from a textbook and use the Mind Map feature to visually organise how topics and themes connect to each other.

Reports: Compiles the information from your sources into a structured, written document or article. Best for – Use in the workplace rather than study. It can help you generate ideas or better structure your report, but generally one to avoid, largely because it encourages cognitive offload e.g. the machine is doing the work not you.

Flashcards: Automatically generates digital cards with questions on the front and answers on the back for active recall. Best for – Memorising facts or key definitions which become more important the closer you get to the exam. Remember to take breaks between practicing with the cards.

Quiz: Produces an interactive assessment with immediate feedback and citations to help check your understanding. Best for – Testing your knowledge and forcing recall, which is one of the best learning strategies there is.

Infographic: Turns information into a clear, visual format to highlight important facts and statistics. Best for – Reducing complexity and offering a clear route to the most important information.

Slide deck: Drafts a set of presentation slides based on the core themes of your uploaded content.Best for – Clarifying key points as well as providing a compelling narrative that can help you and others better understand a subject.

Data table: Extracts and organises specific information from your files into a clean, structured table. Best for – Taking large amounts of information and turning it into a table that can help with recall.

Conclusion
What makes NotebookLM particularly effective for learning is that it encourages active engagement with material rather than passive consumption. You’re not just reading, you’re questioning, synthesising, and creating new ways of improving your understanding. It aligns very well with what we know from cognitive science as to what makes effective learning e.g retrieval practice, elaboration, and multiple encoding formats all strengthen memory and understanding.

In a world drowning in AI tools, NotebookLM stands out not because it does everything for you, but because it does one thing exceptionally well, helping you learn – Enjoy!