Google has expanded NotebookLM's functionality with a new web search feature that helps users discover and incorporate online sources directly into their notebooks.
The system lets users describe what they're looking for, then automatically finds and organizes relevant sources from across the internet. Users can add these discovered sources to their notebooks with a single click, making them available for NotebookLM's existing features like creating briefings and generating FAQs. Google says the feature is currently rolling out to all NotebookLM users.
Video: Video via Google
The move raises some potential legal questions, particularly around copyright. It's unclear whether importing complete web sources into NotebookLM will face challenges from content creators, especially publishers who might object to having their content accessed through Google's tool rather than their own websites.
NotebookLM is Google's AI-powered research tool that uniquely relies on user-provided sources rather than broad training material to minimize AI hallucinations. One of its key features is the Audio Overview function, which converts documents into conversational format between two AI moderators.
Google recently moved the tool out of its experimental phase. It's available in two versions: a free Basic version and an advanced Plus version with additional features for businesses. While NotebookLM has achieved significant usage with 31.5 million visits last October, it still lags behind ChatGPT with billions of visits.
