This unlikely Google-Microsoft duo works higher than it ought to

I am consistently looking for methods to do issues extra effectively, particularly on the subject of analysis. I haven’t got a ton of time within the day for private agendas and want I had extra time to learn — I used to read about a book a month. These days, I can barely discover time to learn two books a yr. Discovering methods to streamline my studying has been a battle, however that is what led me to make use of NotebookLM within the first place.

NotebookLM is a terrific tool for studying extra about subjects. You’ll be able to create your personal database to drag data from. Not solely are you able to higher funnel the sources that the AI assistant gathers knowledge and info from, however it’s also possible to add your personal data and have it do various totally different duties for you. Need to be taught extra a few lengthy PDF that you simply’re required to learn? Add it to NotebookLM and have it write up flash cards to check. Have to be taught loads a few matter in a short while? Construct a Pocket book and create an Audio Overview to take an academic AI podcast on the go.

When you can ask Google to find sources for you, somewhat than giving NotebookLM the sources you wish to use, you might not need a few of what it finds. It should often offer you 10 sources and a few of them will not be respected. So why not use AI in different methods to get extra data to feed in. That is why I’ve built-in Microsoft Copilot responses into NotebookLM.

Find out about a brand new matter from a Copilot immediate

Why not have Microsoft do the heavy lifting?

NotebookLM is nice as a result of it will probably use what you are giving it and create an all-encompassing database from which to reply to questions. However what if you do not know something a few matter, and also you wish to study it earlier than gaining information from NotebookLM? You need to use the Uncover sources choice on the platform. However it’s also possible to ask Copilot to let you know about it. I’ve found that asking Copilot or one other LLM to assist me with studying about one thing could be a fast technique to get the solutions I am on the lookout for.

I not too long ago requested it to show me about cryptocurrency. Whereas I typically perceive the idea, I haven’t got a full grasp on the subject by any means. I am not an investor (no less than not but). So why not have Microsoft Copilot inform me some extra about it? I requested it to assist me perceive the fundamentals, and it gave me an excellent rundown of the subject in broad phrases.

Combine Copilot with NotebookLM for a database of my very own

This Pocket book was put collectively with out a lot effort from me

I requested Copilot to “write an in depth evaluation of how somebody ought to get began in investing in cryptocurrency.” It gave me much more data. However somewhat than learn its complete write-up, I merely copied the responses that it gave me to my two prompts and pasted them into NotebookLM. Once you open up a brand new Pocket book, you may select Paste textual content within the Add sources portion. As soon as I added that in, NotebookLM created the Pocket book “Cryptocurrency Fundamentals and Funding Information.”

From there, I added some extra sources from Google to flesh out the data to offer it much less of a newbie’s feeling. I now had a database the place I might ask questions — particularly if I ought to put money into a sure kind of cryptocurrency. Candidly, Google made it clear that it might supply customized monetary recommendation, and, actually, that is one thing that I appreciated. There might be dire ramifications if AI was offering monetary recommendation to people. But it surely additionally started offering me with a extra in-depth rationalization of the several types of cryptocurrency to assist me higher perceive my choices.

Use what Copilot has taught NotebookLM to my benefit

Take NotebookLM’s function for a spin

Now that I’ve fed the Copilot responses into NotebookLM and created a Pocket book I can ask questions in, I wish to really perceive the whole lot Copilot and NotebookLM have compiled. I first began out with a Thoughts Map about cryptocurrency, which broke the subject into extra digestible choices. I went from the broad matter to studying extra in regards to the tax break implications as written by the IRS tips in regard to crypto in just some clicks.

I then created a Visible Overview that summarized all of the sources and their information. This video gave a visible illustration of all the data that I might sit, watch, and be taught in a 10-minute span. After that, I exploit the quiz perform to check myself to see how a lot I really perceive. With a subject like crypto, I used to be by no means going to utterly perceive it straight away, particularly since I am counting on about 10 sources. But it surely gave me a greater understanding than I would beforehand had.

For extra enjoyable, I took a part of the response from NotebookLM relating to capital positive factors tax calculations and fed it again into Copilot and requested it to succinctly summarize what it meant. Moderately than wading by lengthy solutions from NotebookLM, I acquired a brief and candy reply from Copilot. Simply to fiddle, I requested NotebookLM to make an Audio Overview targeted solely on capital positive factors tax calculations, so I used to be capable of hear about it from that supply too.

There’s a lot that you are able to do with each of those and, once they work collectively, it will probably energy your learning ahead.