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NotebookLM Pros Generates AI insights with your own data
Wide variety of tools and uses Cons Limited to Google's AI models
Not private or stored on your device
Editors' note: NotebookLM is unlike other AI tools. While some tools want to be your AI playground and allow you to do a little bit of everything, NotebookLM delivers on what it promises, which is to help you learn and understand your data better. What started as a small Google experiment is now possibly the most practical AI product, which is why it received a CNET Editors' Choice award.
Of all the AI tools Google has churned out in the past couple of years, NotebookLM remains special. It's a tool that's approachable and can be used by anyone, making it a flexible option for school, work or play.
While there are other options out there, NotebookLM still doesn't have a strong or direct competitor, making it even more appealing. While Google has veered into the learning aspect of its new features, it shouldn't prevent anyone from trying it out.
At its core, NotebookLM is an AI research assistant that lets you create a variety of outputs based on the sources you feed it. It's not a chatbot, like ChatGPT or Claude, even though it is powered by Google's own Gemini. Instead, it takes your sources as the only source of truth, making it less prone to AI hallucinations.
Not only that, it's what NotebookLM can do with those sources that's really impressive.
This use of artificial intelligence is valuable and in demand. For instance, Matthew McConaughey said last year on a podcast that he wanted a personal LLM trained on all his books, notes and other personal information, so he could ask questions and get answers without any external influence. This is essentially what NotebookLM does.
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