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

I am continuously looking for methods to do issues extra effectively, particularly with regards to 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 wrestle, 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 individual database to tug info from. Not solely are you able to higher funnel the sources that the AI assistant gathers information and info from, however you may also add your individual info and have it do numerous totally different duties for you. Wish to be taught extra a few lengthy PDF that you just’re required to learn? Add it to NotebookLM and have it write up flash cards to review. Must be taught so much 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 need to use, you might not need a few of what it finds. It would normally offer you 10 sources and a few of them might not be respected. So why not use AI in different methods to get extra info to feed in. That is why I’ve built-in Microsoft Copilot responses into NotebookLM.

Study a brand new matter from a Copilot immediate

Why not have Microsoft do the heavy lifting?

NotebookLM is nice as a result of it might probably use what you are giving it and create an all-encompassing database from which to answer questions. However what if you do not know something a few matter, and also you need to find out about it earlier than gaining data from NotebookLM? You should utilize the Uncover sources possibility on the platform. However you may also ask Copilot to inform you about it. I’ve found that asking Copilot or one other LLM to assist me with studying about one thing could be a fast method to get the solutions I am in search of.

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 (at the very least 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 a very good 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 info. 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’ll be able to 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 provide it much less of a newbie’s feeling. I now had a database the place I may ask questions — particularly if I ought to put money into a sure sort of cryptocurrency. Candidly, Google made it clear that it may provide customized monetary recommendation, and, actually, that is one thing that I appreciated. There could possibly be dire ramifications if AI was offering monetary recommendation to people. However it additionally started offering me with a extra in-depth clarification of the various kinds of cryptocurrency to assist me higher perceive my choices.

Use what Copilot has taught NotebookLM to my benefit

Take NotebookLM’s characteristic for a spin

Now that I’ve fed the Copilot responses into NotebookLM and created a Pocket book I can ask questions in, I need to truly perceive every little thing 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 concerning the tax break implications as written by the IRS tips in regard to crypto in only a few clicks.

I then created a Visible Overview that summarized all of the sources and their data. This video gave a visible illustration of all the data that I may 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 truly perceive. With a subject like crypto, I used to be by no means going to utterly perceive it immediately, particularly since I am counting on about 10 sources. However it gave me a greater understanding than I might beforehand had.

For extra enjoyable, I took a part of the response from NotebookLM relating to capital features tax calculations and fed it again into Copilot and requested it to succinctly summarize what it meant. Fairly than wading by means of lengthy solutions from NotebookLM, I acquired a brief and candy reply from Copilot. Simply to fiddle, I requested NotebookLM to make an Audio Overview centered solely on capital features tax calculations, so I used to be capable of pay attention 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 might probably energy your learning ahead.