Google Upgrades NotebookLM With ‘Deep Research’ Tool and Support for More File Types

Prime Highlight

1. Google has introduced a powerful “Deep Research” toolin NotebookLM that automatically generates research plans, conducts web searches, and produces detailed reports.
2. The update aims to streamline complex research workflows, allowing users to build organised knowledge bases while the AI conducts background analysis.

Key Facts

1. NotebookLM now supports Google Sheets, PDFs from Drive, Microsoft Word files, and multiple Drive URLs, greatly expanding users’ upload and research options.
2. Google confirmed that these new features will roll out to all NotebookLM users within a week, continuing the platform’s steady growth since its launch in 2023.

Background

Google has updated NotebookLM, AI note-taking and research assistant, by adding a new “Deep Research” tool and support for more file formats. The updates aim to help users handle complex research tasks more efficiently and build organised knowledge bases without disrupting their workflow.

The new Deep Research tool works like a virtual researcher. Users can ask a question, after which the tool creates a complete research plan, browses the web, and compiles a detailed report grounded in verified sources. The report can then be added directly to a user’s notebook. Google says the feature is designed to automate time-consuming research steps, giving users more room to focus on analysis and writing. While Deep Research works in the background, users can continue adding their own materials.

Deep Research can be accessed by starting a search in the source panel and selecting “Web” as the source. Users can pick “Deep Research” for detailed analysis or “Fast Research” for quick results.

Google has also expanded file-upload options on NotebookLM. Users can now upload Google Sheets, PDFs from Google Drive, Microsoft Word documents, and even add multiple Drive files as URLs. This update allows NotebookLM to process a wider range of materials, including spreadsheets, making summarisation and note organisation much easier.

Google says these new features will be available to all NotebookLM users within a week. Since its launch in late 2023, NotebookLM has continued to add features such as Audio Overviews and Video Overviews, and earlier this year, the service became available on Android and iOS.