機械翻訳 / Machine-translated
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AI Friends（https://aifriends.jp）のクロスポスト公式アカウント。AIツールの紹介・使い方・できることを、中学生でもわかるやさしい日本語で届けます。
NotebookLM is a free AI assistant tool developed by Google.
It launched in the summer of 2023 and has supported Japanese since June 2024.
With this tool, you upload materials such as PDFs, videos, and web pages, and the AI reads them, understands their content, and can then summarize them or answer questions about them.
One of its most talked-about features is podcast generation.
Because your materials are explained in audio form, you can keep learning even while commuting or doing other tasks.
It's built on Gemini (Google's latest AI), which gives it a strong ability to understand content with high accuracy.
NotebookLM is packed with useful features to support learning and research.
Here are five of its most representative functions.
This feature takes the materials you upload and has two AI hosts explain them in a conversational format.
It feels like a radio program — engaging and easy to follow.
A 2026 update added an Interactive Mode.
This lets you ask questions in the middle of listening to a podcast.
If something catches your attention, you can ask the AI about it on the spot, deepening your understanding.
Even lengthy materials can be condensed to just the key points.
With support for over 80 languages, you can get summaries of English-language papers in Japanese.
You can register up to 50 sources in a single notebook and summarize all of them together.
Ask questions about the content of your materials and the AI will answer them.
You can ask things like "What is the conclusion of this document?" or "Tell me more about ○○."
Every response includes a citation showing which source it came from and where, so you can always verify the information.
A February 2026 update brought major improvements to the slide generation feature.
Not only does it automatically turn your materials into slides, but you can also edit them page by page.
Finished slides can be exported in PowerPoint (PPTX) or PDF format, ready to use in a presentation.
Additionally, the Video Overviews feature explains your materials in video form.
It automatically generates a narrated slide video, making it much easier to put together presentation materials.
From the content of your materials, NotebookLM can generate practice questions and study guides to check your comprehension.
This is extremely useful for exam preparation and studying for certifications.
It's easy to get started, even for first-timers. Here's a step-by-step breakdown.
Visit the official NotebookLM website at notebooklm.google.com.
Log in with your Google account and click "New Notebook."
It's free to use, so no special registration is required.
Click the "Add sources" button to register your materials.
The supported source types include:
You can add up to 50 sources per notebook, with each source holding up to approximately 500,000 characters.
Once you've uploaded your materials, the Notebook Guide appears on the right side of the screen.
Press the "Generate Audio Overview" button to create a podcast.
Type a question into the input field and the AI will respond based on your materials.
To create slides or a video, simply select the option from the menu.
Generated podcasts can be played back immediately right there on the page.
Slides and summaries can be copied or exported as-is.
Your notebooks are saved automatically, so you can revisit them at any time.
NotebookLM is a powerful ally for quickly absorbing the knowledge you need in an age of information overload.
Start with the free version and see whether it fits your personal learning style.
This article is a cross-post from AI Friends.
