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Look, we all know AI note-taking tools can be about as exciting as watching paint dry, but Google just dropped a cool update to NotebookLM that might make you rethink your relationship with AI research assistants.
Starting this week, Google’s NotebookLM is finally getting what we’ve all been begging for: the ability to search the web for sources without having to copy-paste URLs manually.
The new “Discover” feature is rolling out gradually, promising to turn your research sessions from mind-numbing PDF uploads into something actually useful.
Here’s What’s Actually Cool About It
Instead of forcing you to play librarian with your sources, NotebookLM will now crawl the web based on your topic and serve up to 10 highly relevant sources.
Imagine having a really smart intern who actually knows what they’re doing – except this one doesn’t need coffee breaks or LinkedIn recommendations. That’s essentially what you’re getting here with this. new feature.
The best part? It’s not just throwing random Wikipedia articles at you. The AI analyzes hundreds of potential sources and picks the cream of the crop, complete with summaries that tell you if they’re worth your time.
For the trust-but-verify crowd, you can see exactly where every piece of information comes from, with citations that actually make sense.
How to Use NotebookLM’s Discover Sources Feature
Getting started with Google NotebookLM is painless. Here’s how to use it:
- Access NotebookLM:
- Discover New Sources:
Navigate to the Sources panel and click the “Discover” button.
- Describe Your Topic
Enter a description of the topic you’re interested in.
- Review and Add Sources:
Use added sources with NotebookLM features like Briefing Docs, FAQs, and Audio Overviews. Read original articles, ask questions in chat, and take notes using NotebookLM’s tools.
For The Nerds Among Us
Free users can still manually add up to 50 sources, while bougie premium subscribers get 300.
The new feature supplements these limits rather than replacing them, meaning you can mix and match web-sourced content with your own uploads.
And yes, you can still use all the fancy features like:
- Audio Overviews
- Mind Maps
- Natural language queries
Why This Actually Matters
NotebookLM is trying to hit a sweet spot between useful and usable. The citation feature means you’re not just getting AI hallucinations – you’re getting actual, verifiable information that you can track back to its source.
For students, researchers, or anyone who’s ever had to compile information for a project (so, literally everyone), this update could be the difference between spending hours hunting down sources and actually getting work done.
The rollout should be complete within a week, giving you just enough time to clear out those 47 open browser tabs you’ve been “saving for research.”
Try NotebookLM’s new features for yourself and let us know if it actually makes your research life easier, or if you’re sticking to your tried-and-true method of panic-Googling at 3 AM.
What are your thoughts on Google’s NotebookLM update? Will the “Discover” feature change how you research? Leave a comment below or join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter!
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