Google's NotebookLM has established itself as a valuable tool for understanding complex information by allowing users to upload their own source materials. Whether tackling academic papers, planning trips, or analyzing interview transcripts, users previously relied on manually adding documents like PDFs or Google Docs to their notebooks. NotebookLM would then become an expert grounded specifically in that provided content. However, the process of gathering information is evolving with a significant new update designed to streamline research and learning: the introduction of the 'Discover sources' feature. This new capability shifts the paradigm from solely user-provided content to AI-assisted discovery. Instead of needing existing documents, users can now tap the 'Discover' button within NotebookLM and simply describe the topic they wish to explore. Leveraging the power of AI, specifically Google's Gemini models, NotebookLM initiates a rapid search across the web. Within seconds, it sifts through potentially hundreds of online sources, analyzing them for relevance based on the user's description. This marks the first of a series of planned features using Gemini to enhance source collection within the platform. The system doesn't just find links; it actively curates the results. NotebookLM presents up to ten carefully selected source recommendations. Crucially, each recommendation comes with an annotated summary, clearly explaining *why* that particular source is relevant to the specified topic. This curation step saves users significant time and effort, providing a focused starting point for understanding a new concept or gathering essential reading material. Adding these curated sources to a personal notebook is straightforward – a single click integrates them into the user's workspace. Once imported, these web-based sources function seamlessly alongside manually uploaded documents. Users can leverage all existing NotebookLM features with this new content, including generating Briefing Docs, creating FAQs, or listening to Audio Overviews. The original sources remain accessible within the notebook, allowing for direct reading, interaction via the chat interface to ask specific questions, and utilization of NotebookLM's built-in citation and note-taking tools. This ensures that while discovery is automated, deep engagement with the material is still fully supported. To facilitate exploration and help new users understand the feature's potential, Google has also included an engaging option called the 'I'm Feeling Curious' button. Clicking this prompts NotebookLM to generate sources on a randomly selected topic, offering a quick and playful demonstration of the source discovery agent in action. Getting started involves a simple process: Navigate to notebooklm.google.com.Open an existing or new notebook.Locate and tap the 'Discover' button within the Sources panel.Type in a description of the desired topic. This feature is currently rolling out to all NotebookLM users, with the process expected to take approximately one week to complete, significantly enhancing the platform's utility as a comprehensive research and understanding tool.
