Another Crazy Day in AI: Visual Learning Comes to NotebookLM Research Platform
- Wowza Team
- Jul 31
- 4 min read
Hello, AI Enthusiasts.
The weekend’s in sight, but here’s something worth your last few brain cells.
NotebookLM used to be an audio-only research companion. Now, it’s stepping into the visual age with video overviews and a multi-output studio that makes it easier to structure, explore, and express ideas. Google’s pushing the platform beyond passive summarization toward something that feels more like a hands-on thinking space.
In Singapore, a high schooler built an AI app to help doctors skip the paperwork. Yes, he’s 17. Yes, it works.
And OpenAI’s podcast drops a reality check: AI can unlock better learning, but only if we stay focused on equity, ethics, and mentorship.
Here's another crazy day in AI:
Google's NotebookLM adds video overviews and multi-output features
17-year-old creates AI transcription tool for doctors
OpenAI Education Lead talks learning, equity, and study mode
Some AI tools to try out
TODAY'S FEATURED ITEM: Google Adds Visual Learning to NotebookLM
Image Credit: Wowza (created with Ideogram)
What if your research assistant could not only talk to you about complex topics, but also show you exactly what it means through custom visuals and slides?
Google has just rolled out significant updates to NotebookLM, their research-focused platform that helps users process and understand complex information. The announcement, shared by Shan Wang (Senior UX Designer) and Usama Bin Shafqat (Software Engineer) on Google's official blog, introduces Video Overviews alongside a redesigned Studio interface that expands how users can create and organize their content. These changes represent one of the most substantial updates to the platform since its launch, moving beyond its original audio-only approach to include visual learning formats. The goal is to support different ways of understanding—not replacing deep reading or analysis, but offering new tools that work alongside them.
What's been added:
Video Overviews generate slide-based presentations with narration, combining existing document visuals with newly created explanatory graphics
Content customization allows users to specify their knowledge level and learning goals, whether they're beginners or experts in the field
Users can now create and store multiple outputs of the same type within a single notebook, breaking the previous one-per-format limit
Audio content generation includes support for multiple languages to serve international users and teams
Different versions can be tailored for specific roles or audiences while drawing from the same source materials
The platform supports multitasking between different content types, such as examining visual materials while listening to related audio
A redesigned Studio interface offers four dedicated creation tiles for Audio Overviews, Video Overviews, Mind Maps, and Reports
The introduction of visual elements reflects a practical reality many users have likely encountered - some information simply works better when you can see it. Technical documentation with flowcharts, research papers with complex diagrams, or data-heavy reports often lose critical context when converted to audio alone. Medical procedures, engineering processes, or scientific concepts that rely on spatial relationships can be particularly challenging to convey through narration without visual support. Video Overviews attempt to address this gap by maintaining the convenience of AI-generated explanations while adding the clarity that visuals can provide.
The expanded Studio capabilities also acknowledge how information sharing actually happens in professional environments. A single piece of research might need to serve multiple purposes - a detailed technical briefing for specialists, a simplified overview for management, or language-specific versions for global teams. Previously, users had to create separate notebooks or find workarounds to generate different perspectives on the same material. The new system could streamline these workflows, though its effectiveness will depend on how well the AI handles the subtle differences in tone, depth, and focus that different audiences require. Questions remain about whether automated visual generation can capture the nuances that human-created presentations typically include, and whether the convenience of multiple formats might sometimes come at the cost of precision or clarity in the final output.
Read the full article here.
OTHER INTERESTING AI HIGHLIGHTS:
17-Year-Old Creates AI Transcription Tool for Doctors
/Dillon Loh, Journalist, on The Straits Times
Inspired by watching his parents juggle long hours and paperwork, 17-year-old student John Tow created SgScribe, an AI-powered transcription tool to help doctors spend less time on admin work. The app generates SOAP notes from recorded consultations in multiple languages, aiming to ease documentation burdens in clinics. Still in beta, it has already been used to process hundreds of consultations and shows over 90% accuracy. John hopes to grow the project post-graduation—and says it’s shown him that building software may be just as impactful as becoming a doctor.
Read more here.
OpenAI Education Lead Talks Learning, Equity, and Study Mode
/The OpenAI Podcast
In Episode 4 of the OpenAI Podcast, Head of Education Leah Belsky sits down with host Andrew Mayne and two university students to explore how AI—especially tools like ChatGPT—is reshaping learning. From personalized tutoring to study mode, the discussion dives into how AI is helping students learn better while also raising questions about ethics, equity, and academic integrity. Leah argues that AI can democratize education while human mentorship remains key.
Read more here.
SOME AI TOOLS TO TRY OUT:
That’s a wrap on today’s Almost Daily craziness.
Catch us almost every day—almost! 😉
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