Google recently announced some changes to NotebookLM, its AI research assistant that helps people turn confusing documents into easy to understand ones. Which can be used to produce a number of narrated slides that include important quotations, graphs, and pictures.
The company is adding video recaps and fixing the tool’s limitations, which is Video Overviews to all users in English.
This means that another artificial intelligence (AI) tool is coming to Google NotebookLM to aid users in comprehending difficult subjects. Google stated on Tuesday via a blog post that Video Overviews, a tool that can create a visual narrative-focused overview from the sources, will be made available. In situations where the subject is so complex that providing a visual breakdown would be more beneficial to users, the new feature is intended to supplement the current Audio Overviews capability. In addition, NotebookLM is receiving a revamped Studio panel that facilitates user access to various tools.
The upgrade is similar to the Audio Overviews feature, where AI creates podcast-style breakdowns of your documents. This is basically the same thing but with pictures and slides.
When it comes to customisation, the video feature is just like the audio summaries. You can tell the AI exactly what you want it to focus on. If you’re completely new to a topic, you can ask it to explain everything from the beginning. It can also skip the basics if you are an expert already.
The computer giant described NotebookLM’s new Video Overviews functionality in a blog post. The new overview format includes narrated slides and is part of the platform’s Studio outputs. The feature is finally reaching consumers after being first revealed at Google I/O 2025. Notably, all NotebookLM users—including those on the free tier—can utilize the feature.
The most exciting news is the upgrade of the Studio panel. NotebookLM had a rule where everyone can only create one audio summary or one study guide per project. If anyone wanted a different version focusing on something else, anyone had to start over or create a whole new project.
Now everyone can create and store multiple studio outputs of the same type in a single notebook. This change opens up huge possibilities for how people can use the tool.
The new interface makes the management of more than one content much easier. Everyone can now find four distinct tiles at the top of the Studio panel for creating Audio Overviews, Video Overviews, Mind Maps and Reports.
Google also added a feature that lets each one multitask within the tool. Everyone can now enjoy and listen to an Audio Overview while exploring a Mind Map or reviewing a Study Guide at the same time. This means anyone can absorb information in multiple ways at the same time, which is particularly useful when they are trying to understand complex topics from different angles.
NotebookLM’s approach is different because it doesn’t just organize your information but it helps one to understand and share it. The addition of video summaries means people who learn better through visual aids can now get the same benefits that audio learners have been enjoying.
The new, redesigned Studio makes it easier to take a source material and generate a whole collection of formats to understand and share. It will be rolling out to all users over the next few weeks.
These changes represent a significant step forward in making complex information more accessible to everyone. Whether it is a student trying to understand academic papers, a professional preparing presentations for different audiences, or a researcher sharing findings with various stakeholders, NotebookLM is becoming a more powerful tool for turning information overload into organized, understandable content.
The features are rolling out gradually, so if anyone doesn’t see them in their account yet, they should appear over the next few weeks.
The tool was tested by some team members at a media agency. Video Overviews basically generates a number of static visual slides that use text, graphs, tables, emojis, and diagrams, much like a PowerPoint presentation. When needed, the feature additionally incorporates significant quotations from the sources. The topic is explained with an AI-generated narration that runs the length of the slideshow. The narration is performed by a female AI voice, and changing the voice is not an option.
The tool performed as promised in our experience, however the narration seemed more generalized overall and omitted several important details from the sources. Audio Overviews did a better job of capturing this subtlety.
Video Overviews, according to Google, will be useful for describing information-dense subjects that require procedures, include a lot of data, and “make abstract concepts more tangible.” Users can additionally characterize the target audience, emphasize the learning objectives, and choose subjects to concentrate on using this approach.
In addition, the business is rebuilding the studio panel that contains reports, mind maps, and audio and video overviews. For these features, the business is now putting four sizable tiles on the right side of the screen. Any material produced using these tools will show up in a list below. Additionally, users can listen to an audio overview while multitasking and viewing a mind map.
Furthermore, each tool could only produce one output in a notebook at this time. Users can now produce and save several studio outputs of the same kind on a single notebook since it is being eliminated.
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