MetaFilter post_ Podcast all the things

Google's Notebook LM is an AI tool that generates podcast conversations based on any document you upload. It goes beyond simple text summarization and creates audio overviews that mimic conversations. Users on Metafilter tested the tool and found it both fascinating and creepy. The AI hosts treated uploaded works with seriousness, even analyzing old fan fiction as if it were a literary masterpiece. This raises questions about AI's ability to provide meaningful feedback and how it might change how we consume and critique creative work. Skeptics worry that the AI may lack depth and simply mimic conversation without adding anything new. The technology is powerful but neutral, so users and creators must be careful in its use to avoid creating more noise and garbage content. OK, so listeners are sending in some really interesting stuff about AI lately. This one in particular is really something. We've been hearing a lot about AI and writing text, right? But Google's Notebook LM, this is different. It takes things a step further. Instead of writing text, it makes, get this, podcast conversations from whatever you feed it. I know, so it's basically like, you upload a document, any document, and then it'll generate a podcast conversation about it. It sounds very simple, but when you actually think about what it's doing, it's kind of mind-blowing. It really is, like, deceptively simple. Yeah, and the funny thing is, if you just look at it, it's like, oh, you upload a document, and it gives you summaries, bullet points, key points, even timelines. Right, helpful. Yeah, it's all helpful stuff, but we've kind of seen that before. Right, exactly. But then there's this audio overview feature. And that's where it gets. And that's where things get really interesting. For real, because imagine this. It's a podcast conversation, but it's generated from, like you said, an article or a research paper or whatever you upload. Yeah, and to see what people actually thought about this, we went to Metafilter. Of course, Stu. The website. They're early tech adopters. For sure. But with a healthy dose of, like, hold on a minute. Exactly, critical thinking. Exactly. Which is what we need. Which is what we love about them. For sure. So we knew that their take on this whole notebook LM thing would be, you know. Insightful. Insightful, exactly. And they did not disappoint. No, they did not. They jumped right into testing this thing. They did. I'm done. And the thread starts out. So the thread starts. With a user, Raomi, and they're like, at first, OK, another AI summarizer. I've seen this. Big deal. OK, yeah, this is kind of neat. Yeah. T, big. When they hit that audio overview button. That's when things change. Total game changers. Total game changers. Yeah, and it's like, you know, we say that, but why? Why is this such a leap? Well, because it's not just summarizing anymore. Right. It's creating. It's AI generating an entirely different form of content. Audio. It's mimicking a conversation versus just spitting out, like, bullet points. Well, I'm being honest. It's kind of creepy when you think about it. I know, right? What does it mean to be a creator now? Right, are we being replaced? And Raomi gives some really interesting examples in the thread. Yeah, they uploaded a bunch of different stuff. Yeah, a transcript of the Harris-Trump debate. Oh, wow. That line goes up. Video essay, I don't know if you saw that. I did, yeah. I was making the rounds. It was everywhere. And even, get this, a Metafilter thread about the poem, Jabberwocky. Metafilter inception. I know. Who knew that AI had such a sense of humor? That's the thing about AI. It's unpredictable. It really is. Like, we don't even know what it's capable of. It's true. But what I think is so fascinating is, like, you know how the format of the source material that you're giving it might influence the podcast style? Yeah, for sure. Imagine how different the AI would sound. Like, if it was given the debate transcript versus something like line goes up, which is much more, like, analytical. Right, one's going to be, like, dry, factual. Yeah, just like, he said this, she said this. Exactly, and the other one's going to be more, like. More nuanced. Nuance, yeah. More analytical. And it makes you wonder, what do you think would make a good AI-generated conversation? Right, we want to know what you think. As a listener. As a listener, yeah, because it's for you. Let us know. But it gets even wilder. It does. Oh, yeah, so buckle up. OK, I'm ready. Because there's this commenter, Singularity, and they shared this story that's honestly hilarious and kind of heartwarming at the same time. So Singularity is a writer, and like many writers, has struggled to get feedback on their work. Right. It's tough out there. It is tough. So they decide, you know what? I'm going to upload a chunk of my novel into this notebook LM thing just to see what happens. I mean, why not? Exactly. That's the worst that could happen. Right, and they were blown away. Really? And not necessarily by the analysis itself, but by the fact that these AI hosts were treating their work with such seriousness. What, like it was actually good? Like it was this important piece of literature. Wow, I wonder if it was actually good. I know, right? That would be something. That would be something else. Are we talking like Pulitzer Prize worthy? OK, so maybe not that far, but still, you know? That's pretty cool, though. It is, right. And Singularity actually talks about how emotionally validating it felt to have this AI. To have these AI hosts. Yeah, it'd be so like, wow, this is really good stuff. Which I think opens up a whole other discussion. Can AI provide meaningful feedback? Interesting. Even on an emotional level. It's weird, right? Because on the one hand, I can totally see how someone might need that validation. Totally. Especially if you're a creative person, you're putting your work out there. You just want someone to say, good job. Exactly, like you want someone to say, hey, I see you. I see what you did. But to get that from a machine. From a machine, it's like, hold on a minute. I don't know about that. I mean, OK, there's the practical side, right? Like getting notes on your work, suggestions, that kind of thing. Right, that makes sense. But to feel seen by an algorithm, that's. Next level. That's something else. That is next level. Yeah. And Singularity also mentioned, what else did they do? They fed their old Halo fanfic into Notebook LM. Just for kicks. Like they're old, like from high school fanfic. Oh yeah, we're talking like decades old fanfic. Just to see what would happen. And the idea of these AI hosts seriously analyzing this like teenage fanfic, like it's some literary masterpiece. Oh my god. It's hilarious. That's hilarious. I know, I'm just imagining the AI being like, today we delve into the complex themes and character arcs. Master Chief goes to school. Exactly. The metaphors are truly groundbreaking. Oh, stop. I can't. Oh, that's it. But it really does raise some interesting questions, right? Like how AI might change how we consume and critique creative work in general. For sure, like are we all going to be relying on AI to tell us what's good and bad? I mean, in a way, aren't we already? Good point. I mean, think about the algorithms that decide what we see on social media, what we watch on streaming services. It's true, they're already shaping our tastes. Exactly. So is this just like the next step? Right, but I think we have to acknowledge, it's not all fun and games here. Right, there's a serious side to this. There are definitely some skeptical voices in the metafilter thread. OK, yeah, because not everyone's going to be on board with this. For sure, and one of them is All Sweet Gart. OK. And they bring up Eliza, do you remember that? Eliza. It was like this old chat bot program. Right, right, right. Back in the day. Way back in the day. Way back, and it was like, you know, it felt like you're having a real conversation with it. But it was really just surface level responses. Gotcha. Right, and that's All Sweet Gart's point. That this is the same thing. Kind of, yeah, like this AI podcast stuff, yeah, it's technically impressive. For sure. But it could just be mimicking the form of a conversation. Without any real depth. Exactly. So it's like, it sounds like a podcast, but is it actually saying anything? Right, is it actually engaging with the material on a meaningful level? Yeah, that's the big question. Yeah, that's a big question. Because, I mean, we've all listened to podcasts where it's like, come on, get to the point. Oh, totally. Or like, you can tell they're just reading from a script. Yeah, exactly. And nobody wants that. No one. So if this AI is just going to churn out more of that. It's not really adding anything new. Exactly. Infallible Human, another commenter, actually found an example of this. Oh, no, really? Yeah, someone took like a list of, I don't know, top 10 D&D modules or something. OK. Fed it into Notebook LM, grabbed the audio. And just like that. Slapped it on YouTube as a podcast episode. Wow, that's kind of. And it probably sounded, you know. Semi-convincing. Somewhat convincing. Like, if you weren't really paying attention. Exactly. You might be fooled. You might be fooled, but the content itself. Probably not great. Yeah. It's like, you know when you try to make a cake. Yeah. And you use like rotten eggs and steel flour. You're not going to have a good time. Even the best recipe in the world can't save that. That's exactly so. Garbage in, garbage out, as they say. So, what does that mean for something like Notebook LM? Well, I think it means that we need to be careful. OK. Because like this technology, it's powerful. But it's also like neutral. Right, it's a tool. It's a tool, exactly. And like any tool, it can be used for good or for evil. Exactly, you can use a hammer to build a house, or you can use it to, you know. Break stuff. Break stuff. Yeah. So, it's all about the choices we make, right? As users and creators. And as consumers, too. Ooh, good point, yeah. Because if we're not careful, we're just going to end up with more noise, more garbage. More D&D modules. Exactly, more D&D modules that nobody asks for. Nobody needs. And nobody needs. Except maybe the algorithm. Right, exactly. The algorithm loves it. It's true. But if we're talking about someone just slapping together a D&D podcast using AI, think about all the other ways this tech could be used. Right, like it's not just limited to D&D. No, not at all. And it could be used for good, but also for ill. Yeah, like it's a lot to wrap your head around. It is a lot. It really is. Like, this tech is cool and all, but. But you can't just ignore the potential downside. Exactly. And like, we have to think about this stuff. Absolutely. Because, I mean. What if someone uses this to create a podcast that sound totally legit. Yeah. But they're actually. Full of lies. Spreading misinformation. Herbaganda. Yeah, all that bad stuff. It's unsettling. It is unsettling, because it's like. How do you react? How do you tell what's real anymore? Exactly. Like, if you can just create a podcast. About anything. With AI. With AI, that sounds. That sounds totally real. Totally believable. Well, what's to stop someone from using this to, like, manipulate people? Oh, for sure, or push a particular agenda. Exactly. It is a little bit scary, but I think, you know. It's set. It all comes back to, like, critical thinking. Like, we need to be more aware than ever. Of what we're consuming. Exactly. Like, question our assumptions. Double check those sources. Be open to different perspectives. All that good stuff. Yeah, because it's easy to just. Like, passively consume information. Especially when it comes in a format that feels, you know. Somehow it's. Trustworthy, like a podcast. Right. You let your guard down a little. Exactly, but we can't do that anymore. So, what do we do? It feels like every day there's some new AI thing coming out. I know it's overwhelming. It is. Like, are we just supposed to keep up with all of it? Well, I don't think it's about, like, keeping up with every single thing. Okay. It's more about, like, changing our mindset. Yeah. Like, instead of being afraid of this new technology. Right. We need to figure out how to use it to our advantage. Oh, okay. I like that. Like, how can we use AI to learn new things? Yeah. To connect with people. To be more creative. Exactly. It's all about being proactive. So, not just being afraid of the robots. No, the robots are here to stay. They're here. They're here. So, we might as well make friends with them. I like that. Befriend the robots. Exactly. Put them on their way. But also, like, don't let them take over. Right. Those are some boundaries. Boundaries are good. So, to wrap things up, it seems like with this whole AI thing, there's a lot to be excited about. Oh, for sure. The possibilities are endless. But also, a lot to be cautious of. Absolutely. We have to be careful. So, for all of you listening out there, keep those questions coming. Keep thinking critically. And most importantly, don't let the robots win. We're all in this together. That's right. Until next time. See you later.