You can literally learn anything you want, and that too for absolutely free. Do you want to learn how to train your AI on your own materials? NotebookLM lets you upload 50 different sources and extract unlimited knowledge from it. Unlike ChatGPT, which knows a little about everything, NotebookLM becomes an expert on exactly what you teach it.
Why NotebookLM Changes How You Train AI
Almostāāāāāāāā all AI tools tap into billions of internet sources. However, NotebookLM is different. It solely concentrates on what you provide. This results in a very powerful AI: one that is not able to hallucinate since it only has access to your materials.
Just upload a YouTube video, a PDF, or an article(or all, you can upload 50 different sources). After that, you can ask hundreds of questions, produce podcasts, make study guides, and invent mind maps. And, all of this can be done from one single āāāāāāāāsource.
NotebookLM vs ChatGPT: The Key Differences
| Feature | NotebookLM | ChatGPT |
| Accuracy | 94% factual, 98% citations | 83% factual, 67% citations |
| Knowledge Base | Only your uploads | Entire internet |
| Memory | Permanent across sessions | Forgets after conversation |
| Best For | Research and analysis | Creative generation |
| Hallucinations | Can’t make things up | Sometimes invents facts |
| Speed | Moderate | Fast |
So, it’s on you now, do you want to stick with the generalist or want to learn better from a specialist.
How to Train Your AI Using NotebookLM
Stepāāāāāāāā 1: Upload Quality Sources
NotebookLM can take in different formats:
- PDFs and text files
- Google Docs and Slides
- YouTube videos (just drop the link)
- Audio files and voice memos
- Website URLs
- Images (up to 10MB)
With the free version, you can upload up to 50 sources, and 300 with āāāāāāāāPro.
Pro Tip: Start with one comprehensive, well-structured source. Quality> quantity every time.
Stepāāāāāāāā 2: Use AI to Automatically Generate Help
NotebookLM makes the following within seconds of your uploading:
- Content-specific study guides
- FAQs derived from the key concepts
- Chronologies of the major happenings
- Briefing documents for speedy check-ups
- Possible questions to investigate
The reality is that none of these are predesigned. They’re uniquely tailored to your āāāāāāāāfile.
Stepāāāāāāāā 3: Create Podcast-Style Audio Overviews
By far this is the most impressive feature, in my personal opinion. NotebookLM transforms the documents you have into a lively debate between two AI personalities, how freaking cool! They analyze your content as if they were podcasters of a high-quality show.
In addition, you are allowed to break in with a question in the middle of the podcast. To be honest the hosts make it look very easy. They stop, respond, and continue. So nice for learning on the way to the āāāāāāāāoffice or to make learning fun after school.
Stepāāāāāāāā 4: Build Visual Mind Maps
With NotebookLM, you get branching maps that display your connections between ideas. Understand the overall framework of your content at once. You can click on the nodes to get more details. Inform others of your insights by exporting them as pictures.
Step 5: Generate Flashcards and Quizzes
Automatically obtain engaging flashcards and quizzes. Within seconds you’ll get your flashcards and quizzes.
Stepāāāāāāāā 6: Ask Specific Questions
One of the ways to train your AI is by asking it strategic questions such as:
- “What are the 5 main takeaways?”
- “Create a timeline of action items”
- “Summarize this for beginners”
- “What are counterarguments to this position?”
- “Generate quiz questions on key concepts”
The specific questions receive the specific āāāāāāāāanswers.
10āāāāāāāā Efficient Ways to Train Your AI
1. Select Reliable Sources
If you put garbage in, you will get garbage out. So, it is necessary to use well-written and accurate materials. That is all your AI can do; it can only work with what you give it.
2. Develop Intent-Driven Notebooks
It is not a wise thing to just dump all your stuff in one place. Do not put all you eggs in one basket. It’s advisable to create different notebooks for different purposes. Be it client training, competitor research, personal learning, and specific projects.
3. Employ Diverse Output Formats
- Mind maps for visual learners
- Podcasts for auditory learners
- Study guides for readers
- Quizzes for active learners
One and the same source, but different learning styles. Because everyone is in fact different and thus are the ways they learn. Choose what suits your learning style the best.
4. Integrate Information From Various Sources
Put all the related materials into one notebook. Then, ask NotebookLM to recognize the patterns, find the contradictions, and create the connections.
5. Make AI Outputs Your New Sources
First, take AI-generated summaries and work on them until they are perfect, then put them back. This is a small circle of improvement which gradually expands understanding.
6. Support Audio With Active Engagement
Don’t just hear the words passively. Have NotebookLM on the same topic while you are listening to a podcast. You can stop to ask more questions. The hosts answer your questions and then they continue.
7. Work on Meeting Transcripts
Record client calls or workshops. Upload transcripts and request to “Extract key challenges” or “Summarize customer feedback themes.” This way you’ll be able to bring your A game to work.
8. Prepare Presentations In Less Time
If you are going to present, instead of reading all the materials again, ask NotebookLM for “a speaker’s outline based on these materials.”
9. Develop Feedback Loops
Put up the drafts of your content and then request it to “Critique this from a beginner’s perspective” or “What concepts need more emphasis?” Make changes and repeat the process.
10. Repurpose Content
The recording of a single workshop can be transformed into blog outlines, social media captions, email sequences, FAQ documents, and video āāāāāāāāscripts.
NotebookLMāāāāāāāā Pricing and Limits
Free Version:
- 100 notebooks
- 50 sources per notebook
- 50 daily chat queries
- 3 audio generations per day
Pro Version (Google Workspace):
- 500 notebooks
- 300 sources per notebook
- 500 daily chat queries
- 20 audio generations per day
The free version is very effective for self-education. The Pro version is only a good investment for professionals who are conducting workshops or handling multiple āāāāāāāāprojects.
Theāāāāāāāā Paradigm Shift Which All of Us Can See
It was the internet that brought an end to the problem of limited information. However, the major issues that still remain are understanding, memorizing, and using the information.
NotebookLM is aware of this fact. It is not about a supply of more sources. It is about a deeper learning with the sources that you already have. There is no need for a thousand mediocre sources. and this idea is also explored in an article on how AI learns from itself, showing why depth often beats quantity.
What you really need is one excellent source and the proper way to get it all out of āāāāāāāāit.
Howāāāāāāāā to Get Started Today
- Visit notebooklm.google.com (free)
- Make your first notebook
- Upload a single high-quality source (video, PDF, article)
- Have NotebookLM automatically create study aids
- Produce a podcast summary to listen to while driving
- Develop a mind map to understand the concepts
- Create flashcards to quiz yourself
- Inquire with very specific questions from the material
Simply start with a single source. Thoroughly have command of it. After that, you can add āāāāāāāāmore. Ifāāāāāāāā you are figuring out how to train your AI in a way that would be a complete change in your work, learning, and creative process. That is what NotebookLM is essentially doing by concentrating on depth rather than getting the information from different āāāāāāāāsources.
