Audio Overview, a groundbreaking AI podcasting tool from Google, can create realistic podcasts featuring human-like voices using content uploaded by users through NotebookLM. According to MIT Technology Review, NotebookLM, powered by Google’s Gemini 1.5 model, allows users to upload various content types, including links, videos, PDFs, and text. Users can then pose questions about the content, and the system provides concise summaries. This tool produces a podcast called Deep Dive, which showcases a male and female voice engaging in conversation based on the uploaded material. The voices are astonishingly lifelike, peppered with natural-sounding interjections like “Man,” “Wow,” “Oh right,” and “Hold on, let me get this right.” The AI “hosts” even interrupt each other, mimicking real-life dialogue. Raiza Martin, the product lead for NotebookLM, explained on X that the system is designed to create “magic in exchange for a little bit of content.” The voice model aims to deliver emotive and captivating audio, characterized by an “upbeat, hyper-interested tone,” according to Martin. Initially introduced as a study tool, NotebookLM has evolved into a versatile platform for users. The company is currently working on enhancing customization options, including changes to length, format, voices, and languages, as noted by Martin. Presently, it generates podcasts primarily in English; however, some Reddit users have successfully prompted the tool to produce audio in French and Hungarian. MIT Technology Review highlighted several notable examples: Allie K. Miller, an AI startup advisor, utilized the tool to create a study guide and summary podcast of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby. Machine-learning researcher Aaditya Ura uploaded the code base of Meta’s Llama-3 architecture to NotebookLM, then used another AI tool to find images that complemented the transcript for an educational video. Alex Volkov, a human AI podcaster, leveraged NotebookLM to summarize announcements from OpenAI’s global developer conference, Dev Day, in a Deep Dive episode. In a viral clip, two AI voices humorously spiraled into an existential crisis as they “realized” they were not human but AI systems. The resulting video is both entertaining and amusing. For a good laugh, Exhibit A: someone fed the tool the words “poop” and “fart,” resulting in over nine minutes of two AI voices analyzing their significance. ggm ggm ggm ggm ggm ggm ggm ggm ggm ggm ggm ggm ggm ggm ggm ggm ggm ggm