Emma discussed the release of a tool called NotebookLM, which provides grounded, citation-based answers without hallucinations. She explained the concept of hallucinations in AI and the importance of human oversight in AI development. Emma also mentioned upcoming team additions and a future episode about AI hacks.

Emma led a session to discuss questions and feedback from a recent webinar about AI tools, focusing on features like notebooks, audio, and video overviews. She emphasized the importance of asking questions, regardless of their perceived simplicity, and announced the upcoming release of a forum for community engagement. Emma encouraged participants to use the forum and other resources to learn and collaborate, while also inviting them to ask questions during the session.

Emma discussed the upcoming lesson on using NotebookLM’s Discover sources section to enhance SEO and AI-powered searchability of content. She explained NotebookLM’s features, including the ability to upload PDFs and Google Docs, use presets like study guides and FAQs, and hover over sources to view their citations. Emma also mentioned the creation of audio and video overviews, noting that free users can create one audio overview at a time, while paid users can have up to five.

Emma explained the notebook environment and its file handling system, noting that only Google Docs can be used due to ecosystem restrictions. She mentioned a recent change in Google Workspace where Word documents need to be converted manually upon upload. Emma also discussed how website URLs are handled, explaining that only static snapshots of individual pages are captured, and provided a workaround for adding multiple URLs by copying and pasting text content.

Emma discussed the features and limitations of a non-paid version of a tool, highlighting that it allows up to 50 sources, each about 100 MB, and noted that these features can change. She explained that the tool provides a snapshot of a transcript without visuals and suggested using an alternative tool if visual descriptions are necessary. Emma also mentioned that the paid version enables sharing with non-Gmail users as viewers, which is useful for sharing audio overviews with new sales representatives without granting them full access to sources. She addressed a question about syncing with Google Drive, confirming that it should not prompt changes if no updates have been made.

Emma discussed the benefits of NotebookLM over AI chatbots, highlighting its accuracy and ability to provide clickable citations to source passages. She explained that NotebookLM reduces hallucinations by drawing from a closed system of information, making it ideal for business use cases where accuracy is crucial. Emma also mentioned that Notebook LM can process a large amount of information and generate diverse outputs, including briefings, mind maps, and audio/video overviews.

Emma discussed the types of business files that can be uploaded to NotebookLM, emphasizing the need for regular cleanup to maintain a useful resource. She outlined a four-step workflow for creating a self-serve company handbook and addressed questions about using audio overviews for sales onboarding, noting that managers can customize content and set audience-specific parameters. Emma also explained how Discover Sources helps find high-quality, reputable resources by leveraging Google’s search functions, and she encouraged attendees to attend next week’s webinar for more insights on SEO and AI-powered searches.

Emma discussed the benefits and drawbacks of using freemium models versus paid versions for small teams, emphasizing data security concerns with free versions. She explained that NotebookLM’s free tier offers robust data protection, but upgrading is advisable when teams reach feature limits or use it for employee training. Emma also highlighted that upgrading to Google Workspace or using a university email can provide free access to the Pro version and confirmed that storing confidential documents in NotebookLM is safe, especially with enterprise-level security measures.

Emma discussed the use of AI tools like ChatGPT and Google NotebookLM, highlighting their capabilities and limitations. She explained how these tools interpret and process different file formats, noting that PDFs and images can be analyzed differently than text documents. Emma also addressed potential pitfalls, such as creating documents in the wrong language if audio settings are not adjusted. She emphasized starting small when implementing AI tools to measure ROI, focusing on accuracy and time savings in existing workflows. The next session will explore NotebookLM’s use for SEO and AI-powered searches, with a focus on marketing applications.