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    NotebookLM launches feature to customize and guide audio overviews

    (blog.google)
    242 points alphabetting | 15 comments | 17 Oct 24 16:42 UTC | HN request time: 0s | source | bottom
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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.

    replies(14): >>41872802 #>>41872821 #>>41872878 #>>41872954 #>>41873067 #>>41873074 #>>41873152 #>>41873269 #>>41873297 #>>41873476 #>>41874055 #>>41874427 #>>41874680 #>>41875008 #
    1. ghshephard ◴[17 Oct 24 19:55 UTC] No.41873152[source]▶
    Where do you get the "low-quality" part from - my experience with NotebookLM is that they create much higher quality, more informative, more fact based, and more concise podcasts than 99% of the stuff I listen to. I've mostly switched entirely over to NotebookLM for my podcast listening. They, generally, offer a far higher quality experience from my perspective.

    Maybe you have the problem backwards - we accidentally end up listening to non NotebookLM podcasts?

    replies(6): >>41873207 #>>41873941 #>>41874170 #>>41874328 #>>41875724 #>>41876186 #
    2. 3abiton ◴[17 Oct 24 20:02 UTC] No.41873207[source]▶
    It's interesting assumption that by virtue of being AI generated, it's considered bad/fake. 20 years ago, people hated how photoshop changed the photo design industry, NotebookLM is knocking on the door now.
    replies(1): >>41873923 #
    3. ben_w ◴[17 Oct 24 21:20 UTC] No.41873923[source]▶
    I'm excited by AI, but I've also tried using this specific one to generate a podcast based on one of my own blog posts and will only try again due to this product announcement rather than because I think the state of the art is already "there".

    On the plus side, the speech is almost perfect; so good, that I sincerely hope the voices themselves are never fully under user control.

    With regards to the actual summary of the content I gave them, I would say they are grade B: only mostly correct, they're still inventing things I didn't say and missing things I did say.

    That's not to say humans don't make mistakes, I still consider this objectively impressive, that is able to reach even this level was SciFi when I was a kid — but why waste time on a grade-B podcast when the AAA-tier costs you as a consumer a 30 second advert?

    4. sgerenser ◴[17 Oct 24 21:22 UTC] No.41873941[source]▶
    Interesting, are there any podcasts in particular that you recommend? Everything I’ve heard from it just seems like the most banal, cookie cutter stereotype of a podcast with nothing but extremely surface level summarization of a given article, peppered with random cliches and fake sounding reactions “Wow! ok, so let’s hear more about that. I’m intrigued!” “OK, let’s dive deep.” Etc.
    replies(1): >>41874151 #
    5. ghshephard ◴[17 Oct 24 21:47 UTC] No.41874151[source]▶
    DeepDive AI - I'm addicted to it.
    replies(1): >>41874404 #
    6. magicalhippo ◴[17 Oct 24 21:50 UTC] No.41874170[source]▶
    A coworker fed some EU trade regulation page and its official FAQ to NotebookLM, and I was quite impressed with the results.

    It was factually accurate, and presented the topic in a manner that was easy to digest and kept it interesting.

    I didn't plan to but ended up listening to the whole thing, and I normally don't enjoy the podcast format.

    For someone new to the topic, it'd be a pretty great intro compared to reading the official pages.

    7. frabcus ◴[17 Oct 24 22:12 UTC] No.41874328[source]▶
    Personally, I hate even the idea of an AI made podcast, because to me podcasts are personal and emotional. They're about the individual humans who make them. They're not just a source of "information".
    replies(3): >>41874782 #>>41875012 #>>41875793 #
    8. phainopepla2 ◴[17 Oct 24 22:22 UTC] No.41874404{3}[source]▶
    That does not appear to be an AI generated podcast.
    replies(1): >>41874476 #
    9. sgerenser ◴[17 Oct 24 22:32 UTC] No.41874476{4}[source]▶
    There’s a normal, human generated podcast called Deep Dive: AI (https://deepdive.opensource.org/). There’s also a confusingly similar named podcast Deep Dive AI that appears to only have one episode and is NotebookLM generated. Which one are you referring to?

    Edit: If I'm understanding it correctly after some googling, supposedly the "name" of all podcasts generated by NotebookLM is "Deep Dive"? That's just confusing.

    10. drusepth ◴[17 Oct 24 23:16 UTC] No.41874782[source]▶
    I'm glad there are different kinds of podcasts for different people now.

    I've always absolutely hated the focus on the individual humans and their personalities behind the podcast, and wished they'd be a better source of well-structured "information".

    I never listened to a podcast I didn't get frustrated with, even at 2x speed. These NotebookLM podcasts have been exactly what I've always wished podcasts were.

    11. alvah ◴[17 Oct 24 23:52 UTC] No.41875012[source]▶
    Have you listened to any audio overviews in NotebookLM? They can be surprisingly good.
    12. sam345 ◴[18 Oct 24 01:58 UTC] No.41875724[source]▶
    That has not been my experience. The podcasts are vapid and full of cliches.
    replies(1): >>41876432 #
    13. blihp ◴[18 Oct 24 02:10 UTC] No.41875793[source]▶
    I don't know... I think it's pretty cool. In fact, I just found a podcast talking about this very thread (about a minute in, your comment even gets discussed ;-) https://drive.google.com/file/d/130s6OzcfsZam8V-6S5ugKmc0M7O...

    I may have to re-task my paperclip making AI on generating podcasts...

    14. tomjen3 ◴[18 Oct 24 03:49 UTC] No.41876186[source]▶
    Okay, I will bite.

    Its trained on too many shallow podcasts. Go compare any of NotebookLM podcast with an episode of Hardcore History. The latter goes into much more depth (even when you account of it being much longer).

    15. sooheon ◴[18 Oct 24 04:47 UTC] No.41876432[source]▶
    Sounds like they learned the source material well