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NotebookLM launches feature to customize and guide audio overviews

(blog.google)
242 points alphabetting | 3 comments | 17 Oct 24 16:42 UTC | HN request time: 0s | source
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wenbin ◴[17 Oct 24 19:09 UTC] No.41872782[source]▶
NotebookLM is contributing to fake podcasts across the internet, with over 1,300 and counting:

https://github.com/ListenNotes/ai-generated-fake-podcasts/bl...

Google is taking a different approach this time, moving quickly. While NotebookLM is indeed a remarkable tool for personal productivity and learning, it also opens the door for spammers to mass-produce content that isn't meant for human consumption.

Amidst all the praise for this project, I’d like to offer a different perspective. I hope the NotebookLM team sees this and recognizes the seriousness of the spam issue, which will only grow if left unaddressed. If you know someone on the team, please bring this to their attention - Could you please provide a tool or some plain-English guidelines to help detect audio generated by NotebookLM? Is there a watermark or any other identifiable marker that can be used?

Just recently, a Hacker News post highlighted how nearly all Google image results for "baby peacock" are AI-generated: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41767648

It won't be long before we see a similar trend with low-quality, AI-generated fake podcasts flooding the internet.

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1. newfocogi ◴[17 Oct 24 19:44 UTC] No.41873067[source]▶
This doesn't strike me as much of a problem as it appears for you. What are the biggest issues you foresee?

I'm an avid podcast listener, but I already ignore 99.9% of podcasts out there. I'm not concerned that this is going to become 99.99%.

If these AI generated podcasts are all bad, I will just continue to ignore them. If some turn out to be good, it seems like a win to me.

If you're worried about an existential "what happens to the world if all media is machine generated", I guess I'm willing to hop on the ride and see what we find out.

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2. ghshephard ◴[17 Oct 24 19:53 UTC] No.41873136[source]▶
99.9? There are roughly 3mm podcasts out there right now - I listen, regularly, to about 10 over a year (in any given week maybe 3-4). I'm therefore ignoring 2,999,990 or 99.9997% of podcast. I definitely agree with you that this isn't a problem.

(Also - ironically, one of the podcast out of those 10 that I listen to regularly - it's the Deep Dive on AI. A NotebookLM production! )

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3. frabcus ◴[17 Oct 24 22:14 UTC] No.41874344[source]▶
It could poison the well - make it hard for people to find new good podcasts, and reduce discovery and revenue. Also they could fragment our society even more, disconnect people from people. Doesn't seem worth the risk.

If people want to listen to AI generated podcasts, they can just make them themselves. They don't need publishing on a platform alongside human-made podcasts. If I was Apple, who ultimately control curation of podcasts, then I'd prevent them. After all, Apple Intelligence will soon do as good a job of making your custom podcast if that's what you want.

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