NotebookLM podcasts (now Gemini Notebook): what they're great at, and what they aren't
by Danny Abdeljabbar, founder of manekuThe short answer
NotebookLM, which Google renamed Gemini Notebook in July 2026, can turn documents you upload into an Audio Overview: a podcast-style conversation between two AI hosts about your material. It's one of the best ways to absorb a pile of reading. It isn't a tool for making your own show, because the AI hosts are the whole show and you are the listener.
A lot of people met the idea of an "AI podcast" through NotebookLM. You upload a few documents, press a button, and a few minutes later two cheerful hosts are discussing your material like it's the most interesting thing they've read all week. The first time you hear it, it's genuinely startling.
I build an AI co-host for podcasts, so people ask me how the two compare. The honest answer is that they're both excellent at different jobs, and the difference is worth understanding before you pick one.
First, the name: NotebookLM is now Gemini Notebook
On July 16, 2026, Google renamed NotebookLM to Gemini Notebook and gave it the Gemini logo. Google said the product itself didn't change: the same notebooks, sources and shared links carried over. It still runs as its own app, and it's also showing up inside the Gemini app. Google's own help pages now use only the new name, but most people still search for NotebookLM, so I use both here.
What Audio Overviews do
An Audio Overview is a generated conversation about the sources in your notebook. Google's help page describes them as discussions between AI hosts that summarize your material. You can pick from a few formats:
- Deep Dive, the default two-host conversation
- Brief, a short single-speaker summary
- Critique, an expert-style review of your material
- Debate, which frames the material as an argument
You can also choose Shorter, Default or Longer for English overviews, and Google says Audio Overviews can be generated in more than 80 languages.
Interactive mode: the closest thing to a co-host
The most interesting feature is interactive mode. While an overview plays, you press Join and ask a question out loud. The hosts stop, answer you from your sources, and then pick up where they left off.
That is the nearest anything in this category gets to what I build, so I want to be precise about how it differs. According to Google's help page, interactive mode is English only, works only on newly generated overviews, and doesn't work for people you share the overview with. Your questions aren't stored or shared either.
So the direction is reversed. In interactive mode, you join a show the AI is putting on for you, privately. With an AI co-host, the AI joins a show you are putting on, for an audience. Both are useful. They solve different problems.
What it's great for
- Absorbing reading you don't have time for. Long reports, papers and course material become something you can listen to on a walk.
- Prepping for your own episodes. This is the one I'd recommend to podcasters. Load your research, listen to an overview before you hit record, and walk in knowing the material.
- Testing your own writing. The Critique format is a quick way to hear how your material lands on someone else.
What it isn't built for
It isn't built for hosting a show. You aren't on the episode. You can't bring a guest. The hosts don't know your audience, and the content is a summary of documents rather than a conversation with a point of view of its own. You could publish an Audio Overview, but you'd be publishing Google's hosts talking about your notes, not your show.
If you want an AI on your own show
That's where an AI co-host comes in. maneku joins your Descript, Riverside or Restream recording as a participant, with its own tile, name and voice. It listens to the whole conversation, stays quiet until you summon it, and then reacts, researches a question with sources, or carries a segment.
| Gemini Notebook (NotebookLM) | maneku | |
|---|---|---|
| What it makes | An AI-hosted episode about your documents | Nothing on its own. It joins your recording |
| Who's on the episode | Two AI hosts | You, your guests, and one AI voice |
| Can you talk to it? | Yes, privately, with interactive mode | Yes, live, in front of your audience |
| Where it runs | Google's app and the Gemini app | A macOS app, inside Descript, Riverside or Restream |
| Best for | Learning and prep | Hosting podcasts, video podcasts and livestreams |
Honestly, the best setup for a lot of podcasters is both. Use Gemini Notebook to get on top of the material, then record the episode with real people and an AI co-host who can jump in with a fact or a counterpoint when you want one.
For the wider picture, including HeyGen's video podcasts, see AI podcast generators vs. an AI co-host.
Questions people ask
Did NotebookLM change its name?
Yes. Google renamed NotebookLM to Gemini Notebook on July 16, 2026. Google described it as a new name and logo, with existing notebooks, sources and shared links unchanged.
How long is a NotebookLM Audio Overview?
Google lets you choose Shorter, Default or Longer (length options are English only), but doesn't publish exact running times. Formats include Deep Dive, Brief, Critique and Debate.
Can you talk to the NotebookLM podcast hosts?
Yes, with interactive mode. Press Join while an Audio Overview is playing and ask a question out loud. The hosts answer from your sources and then continue. It's English only, works on newly generated overviews, and people you share the overview with can't use it.
Can I use NotebookLM to prepare for my own podcast?
That's one of the best uses for it. Load your research, listen to an overview on the way to your recording, and arrive knowing the material. Then record the episode yourself.
Can NotebookLM be a co-host on my podcast?
No. It doesn't join recording platforms like Riverside, Descript or Restream. An AI co-host such as maneku does that: it joins your session as a participant and speaks when you summon it.
Danny Abdeljabbar
I built maneku. I also make all the artwork and marketing for Dry Quest, an app I developed with my wife, and I'm usually building a smaller app or two on the side. I co-host the Bro History podcast, and by day I work in revenue operations. Before all of this, I was an artist across a lot of mediums, including music and audio.
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