Google appears to be working on a big update for its AI-powered research assistant, NotebookLM. The recently leaked internal documents hint at a bunch of new features. First reported by TestingCatalog, the leaked memo details upcoming additions like Video Overviews, AI-generated flashcards, enhanced Google Drive search, and more.
Redesigned Studio Panel
The company seems to be paying attention to the Studio Panel. The right-hand sidebar currently used for project management and content generation tools is about to be changed. According to the memo, the panel is getting a visual refresh to support new content types, including the upcoming video feature and the newly spotted AI Flashcards.
It is expected to streamline the creative workflow for users juggling multiple formats. Particularly, the Audio Overview, which is the most popular feature of the platform, will get a major update. It is said to allow users to produce outputs in multiple languages within a single notebook. If this feature is rolled out to the actual version, it will remove the limitation of changing the notebook’s language entirely.
Another much-requested feature finally seems to be on the horizon: granular sharing controls. Soon, users may be able to share individual artefacts, like an audio summary or a visual mind map, without exposing the entire notebook.
AI Flashcards and Google Drive Search Coming Soon
Two other key features surfaced in the leaked memo point to NotebookLM becoming more useful for students and enterprise users alike. AI Flashcards, designed to appear in the Studio Panel alongside video and audio content. While details are still emerging, the feature seems to allow users to generate quiz-style flashcards from their content.
Apart from that, there’s a new “Discover Sources” option, which is likely to allow NotebookLM to search across Google Drive, including Docs, Slides, and other formats. This solves a long-standing pain point for researchers and professionals who store most of their working material in Drive but couldn’t previously surface it directly inside NotebookLM.
That’s a wrap about NotebookLM for now, and while these updates are not launched yet, some subtle changes in the NotebookLM interface suggest they’re not far off. For example, the language selector that recently appeared in the audio overview popup replaces the earlier project-wide language setting, indicating that Google is laying the groundwork for broader multilingual support.
Apart from that, NotebookLM has recently released some prompt ideas that you can use to customize your audio overviews on the platform. It will give you more control over how AI summarises research notes.
Enjoyed this? Get daily tech updates on WhatsApp; join now!
