#11: Trying NotebookLM for the first time
Last week, I used NotebookLM for the first time. NotebookLM is a Google product that has the potential to redefine the way people learn. You can upload various types of media (articles, pdfs, YouTube videos), and it will create learning materials: from study guides to practice quizzes. Last fall, Google added “Audio Overviews,” to NotebookLM, which turns your source material into a podcast conversation between two people (or is it Agentic AI’s?).
I was using it to understand the GENIUS act better. The GENIUS act (Guiding and Establishing National Innovation for US Stablecoins), would provide more regulatory clarity for Stablecoins. The GENIUS act has passed through the Senate and is currently working its way through the House of Representatives.
The first time I tried to create just an audio overview of the legislation, which is 57 pages. It didn’t work (I’m not exactly sure why) but I think its because you need to include more source material. On my next attempt I added two more sources: a speech from Senator Cynthia Lummis (a bill co-sponsor) and a speech from Senator Elizabeth Warren. Senator Warren is an outspoken crypto critic, receiving an F from a crypto advocacy group.
5 minutes after clicking generate, I had a 25 minute podcast. The first part of the podcast had to do with Senator Warren’s reservations about the bill and the industry in general. Then it highlighted Senator Lummis’ speech and got into the nuts and bolts of the legislation.
This is an incredible technology and the experience of listening to this conversation was equal parts thrilling and scary. Unlike other experiences with LLM’s, I didn’t need to prompt engineer anything. Without instruction, I created a narrative arc that for the most part had smooth transitions: the crypto skeptics perspective, the voice of the legislations proponent, and then the legislation.
The podcast felt like a fluid conversation. There were lots of one-word sentences, like “Perfect.” It also had lots of what felt like filler. I don’t think sentences about “getting you what matters most,” or “going into the nitty gritty,” were exclusive to the legislation.
Throughout listening to the podcast, I had to remind myself I was listening to a conversation that wasn’t happening with people. Then, there were parts that you could tell were generated by AI.
One difference between traditional finance and crypto markets is that the crypto market never closes. Instead of saying that you can trade crypto at anytime, the podcast said it was open 247365 days a year.
Overall, the podcast was informative but I wouldn’t call it entertaining.
Anyone who knows me personally knows how much I love podcasts. And so do a lot of other people, a reason that podcasters have talent agents and the “Creator Economy,” that they are a part of is expected to be a $480 billion dollar industry by 2027.
As entertainment products, many podcasts have editors and might have theme music or musical transitions. This podcast didn’t have any music at all and it cut off in the middle of a sentence at the end.
If I was listening to a podcast like The Daily they might use certain pieces of the audio. However, the audio I generated only referred back to the media that was uploaded.
The podcast also mentioned Senator’s Lummis and Warren by name when introducing them. Once the hosts started to discuss what each had to say they only used “they,” pronouns. NotebookLM is known for its low hallucination rates: maybe this is one of the ways the algorithm avoids pitfalls?
Overall, I really enjoyed using NotebookLM and am excited to try it again soon.
In my next set of posts, I’m going to be diving a bit deeper into this bill and what I think it could mean for the future of Crypto if it passes. Stay tuned!
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