NotebookLM, Google’s AI-powered research and learning assistant, has added a bunch of new features. The platform can act like a tutor now, with Flashcards, Quizzes, a redesigned Reports function, and a “Learning Guide” conversational style.
One of the biggest new features is the Flashcards and Quizzes, which give you a way to memorize content and use self-assessment. By just uploading documents, like lecture notes, research papers, or work reports, you can now instantly generate interactive study aids. The AI-generated flashcards and multiple-choice quizzes are entirely grounded in the provided sources, which prevents the tool from hallucinating or pulling in external, unverified information.
You also have the flexibility to customize the number of cards or questions and set the difficulty level between Easy, Medium, or Hard to tailor the experience to your specific needs. A particularly cool feature in both Flashcards and Quizzes is the explain button. Tapping this gives a detailed overview, clarifying a flashcard definition or explaining why a quiz question was answered incorrectly. These explanations are accompanied by citations, pointing back to the original source material so you can confirm the tool’s accuracy.
In addition to the existing “Briefing doc” and “Study Guide” formats, a new “Blog Post” option has been added, which is a new way to distill key insights into a highly readable article. The system now suggests report formats based on the themes and topics in a user’s sources. For example, if you upload a scholarly article on economic theory, NotebookLM might suggest a glossary of key terms or a magazine-style explainer. If you upload a short story draft, it could suggest a character analysis or a plot critique.
My favorite new feature that cements NotebookLM’s role as a personal tutor is the Learning Guide’s conversational style. This mode encourages a more participatory and Socratic-like interaction. Instead of simply providing answers, the Learning Guide asks probing, open-ended questions, helping users to break down complex problems step-by-step.
It adapts its explanations to the user’s needs, which will give you a deeper understanding of the subject matter. This feature mimics the one-on-one guidance of a human tutor, making the learning process less about rote memorization and more about genuine comprehension.
NotebookLM has also partnered with OpenStax, a leading provider of free, peer-reviewed textbooks. This collaboration introduces interactive notebooks. The initial six subjects: Biology, AP Biology, Introduction to Business, Chemistry, Psychology, and Principles of Management, will give a solid foundation with trusted sources from the outset.
There’s also a new debate, brief, and critique audio option. NotebookLM already had the podcast-style “deep dive” audio, which repeated information every few minutes or so in between fluff, but now it has audio that will actually help you learn about a subject by summarizing, giving reasoning, and playing devil’s advocate against conventional thinking.
NotebookLM is the only reason I pay for a Google AI subscription. I highly recommend it for people to learn or research for fun, like I do. This will essentially make it a much better way to learn anything you want. I’m pretty excited about using these new features, and it seems like they’re rolling out now on the official website for free and subscribed users.
Source: Google
