Exploring NotebookLM's AI-powered audio generation feature to create a podcast-style discussion about our Tagaytay adventure

I recently discovered Google's NotebookLM. Press the Play button below to hear the podcast. This is all "made up" AI voices. I am just blown away that it can produce this.

We were planning a trip to the Philippines and we were looking for some things we could do while we were there. I don't remember the exact prompt I used, but I said we were going to be staying about an hour south of Manila to spend time with our kids and new granddaughter. Using its Discover sources feature, it finds 10 sites that it thinks would be helpful. Then I just do that a few more times until it has 40-50 sources. That is it. I click generate to get the audio, and it does everything else.

What is NotebookLM?

For those unfamiliar, NotebookLM is Google's AI-powered note-taking and research assistant. But it's evolved far beyond just taking notes. One of its most impressive features is the ability to generate podcast-style audio conversations from your sources.

The Magic of Audio Generation

Here's what makes this feature so special: NotebookLM creates a natural conversation between two AI hosts who discuss your content in an engaging, insightful way. They add context, ask each other questions, and highlight interesting points - all based on your original material.

The Result

What came back was a 10-minute audio conversation that felt like two travel enthusiasts discussing our trip.

How to Try It Yourself

If you want to create your own audio from NotebookLM:

1. Go to notebooklm.google.com
2. Create a new notebook and upload your documents (supports PDFs, Google Docs, text files, URLs, etc.)
3. Once your content is loaded, look for the "Audio Overview" feature
4. Click to generate, and in a few minutes, you'll have your custom podcast

The generated audio is free, and you can regenerate it a few times a day if you add more content or want a different take.