Google's AI-Powered Note-Taking Assistant, NotebookLM, Goes Global in Over 200 Countries

NotebookLM, Google's AI-powered note-taking assistant, expanded to over 200 countries on Thursday, six months after its US launch. AI-generated document summaries and searches are now more accessible worldwide with its updated capabilities and language support.

Australia, Brazil, Canada, India, the UK, and 208 other countries and territories now provide NotebookLM, powered by Google's Gemini 1.5 Pro multimodal language model, according to TechCrunch. The interface now supports 108 languages including Arabic, Bengali, Cantonese, and Dutch. Users may chat with sources in 38 languages, including Chinese, French, Japanese, and Spanish.

Here's What to Know About Google NotebookLM

NotebookLM lets users summarize and answer questions using uploaded transcripts and notes. NotebookLM faithfully reproduces source content and adds inline citations for fact-checking and context, unlike ChatGPT.

According to Raiza Martin, the senior product manager for AI at Google Labs, their goal is to improve the "core functionality before exploring integrations." Thus, they designed NotebookLM to "seamlessly integrate into workflows" and give users reliable and precise information.

Moreover, she noted that existing support for Google Docs, PDFs, and text files has been extended, allowing users to import data from Google Slides and web URLs, "including images and online material."

Notably, NotebookLM restricts the model to the user's chosen source material, protecting personal data. Each response includes a reference for fact-checking, as previously reported by TechTimes. Martin assured NotebookLM users that their data is confidential and not used to train Google's algorithms.

A Notebook Guide tool helps users turn material into FAQs, briefings, and study guides. Authors, students, and educators can use this to enhance current skills. Google Labs editorial director Steven Johnson said that they have observed "significant adoption" among those who create hyperlocal newsletters, interview transcripts summary, and write grant proposals, who need accurate, "source-grounded content."

At Google I/O 2024, Google presented an early NotebookLM Audio Overviews prototype. This tool uses the Gemini model to create podcast-like discussions from uploaded content. The newest update lets NotebookLM manage 50 sources per notebook with 500,000 words each.

Google Gemini App Now Available in UK and EU

In a separate update, Google's Gemini app is now available in the UK and EU on Google Play. The app provides a new AI-powered assistant that can replace Google Assistant for users.

However, Gemini and Google Assistant cannot be used as the primary assistant on the same device, thus customers must select one. According to GSMArena, since Gemini cannot control smart home gadgets, most likely Google Assistant may be preferred by smart home connection users until this capability is added.