(2024-06-06) Shipper Is NotebookLM, Google's Research Assistant, the Ultimate Tool For Thought?

Dan Shipper: Is NotebookLM - Google’s Research Assistant - the Ultimate Tool for Thought? I sat down with bestselling author Steven Johnson to see if we could come up with a concept for his next project—using AI. We loaded 200,000 words of interview transcripts that NASA conducted and all of Steven’s reading notes since 1999 into NotebookLM, Google Labs’s personalized research assistant. (podcast notes)

This is a must-watch for anyone who is a fan of Steven Johnson’s work, or is interested in AI as a creative tool. Here’s a taste:

• Embrace emerging connections.
• Create an expert AI companion
• Build a unified workspace.
• Generate concise recaps of dense texts.
• Customize source material for high-quality responses.
• AI that can present unique perspectives
• Get the lay of the land with the Notebook Guide.
• Lean into the harmony of multiple intelligences

Steven’s approach to curating valuable information

Steven believes that over time, software like NotebookLM will be able to understand one’s “general sensibility” enough to “scour the internet for things that could be useful” for them. Until then, this is how Steven curates information:

Specific points of research.

Information that isn’t immediately relevant.

Unfamiliar albeit thought-provoking content.