Google is rolling out a significant update to NotebookLM, its AI-powered research tool, by integrating the Deep Research capabilities from its Gemini model.
What makes this integration a big deal is that users can now add both the final Deep Research research report and its sources directly into their Notebook. They can continue to add other sources while Deep Research runs in the background and use any of NotebookLM’s Audio or Video overviews to pull insights or transform content to better understand the topic.
To dig further into this new research workflow, I talked with Marketing AI Institute and SmarterX founder and CEO Paul Roetzer on Episode 180 of The Artificial Intelligence Show.
Power of Two
The move to combine Deep Research with NotebookLM's existing strengths is a significant step, says Roetzer.
“I'm a huge fan of NotebookLM," he says. "I want to find those use cases to get back in there.”
He notes that the team at Marketing AI Institute was already impressed with the Deep Research feature when it launched in Gemini. Now it’s an added bonus in NotebookLM.
“To combine the power of the two is awesome,” he says.
How to Keep Pace
The rapid evolution of NotebookLM highlights a broader trend in the AI space: tools are changing so fast that it’s hard to keep up.
Roetzer points to this as the reason why continuous learning and re-evaluation are critical. He explains that this rapid pace is why Marketing AI Institute's AI Mastery program issues new generative AI app reviews every week, noting that an updated review of NotebookLM’s capabilities will be needed soon.
Research Power Plus
This upgrade to NotebookLM solidifies its position as a serious, end-to-end research assistant.
By allowing users to not only generate in-depth reports but also to import and verify all the underlying sources, Google is addressing a key need for researchers, analysts, and students.
The Deep Research integration isn't the only update. Google is also expanding the types of files NotebookLM can handle.
The tool now supports Google Sheets, Microsoft Word documents and images, so you can upload photos of handwritten notes or brochures. It also supports adding Drive files as PDFs or simply by pasting the URL.
Alongside these features, Google is launching "Featured Notebooks." These are collections of high-quality sources curated by experts, authors and partners such as The Economist and Google Research with content on complex scientists to advice.
Mike Kaput
As Chief Content Officer, Mike Kaput uses content marketing, marketing strategy, and marketing technology to grow and scale traffic, leads, and revenue for Marketing AI Institute. Mike is the co-author of Marketing Artificial Intelligence: AI, Marketing and the Future of Business (Matt Holt Books, 2022). See Mike's full bio.