Google Adds Narrated Video Slides to NotebookLM in a Push to Make AI Learning Tools More Visual

New ‘Video Overviews’ feature transforms static notes into narrated visual presentations as Google bets big on multimodal AI experiences

Google is giving its AI notebook assistant a fresh coat of paint—and this time, it talks. And shows. NotebookLM, the company’s AI-powered study and summarization tool, is rolling out a new feature called “Video Overviews” that generates narrated slide presentations based on your uploaded content.

It’s available now in English. More languages are coming soon, according to the company.

Turning Study Notes Into Storyboards

The goal is simple but ambitious: take raw study material—PDFs, lecture notes, whitepapers—and turn it into something that feels more like a classroom explainer or a YouTube tutorial. The AI voice walks you through slides, while images, diagrams, and highlighted stats pop up alongside.

Google says it’s ideal for unpacking complex ideas. And it doesn’t just spit out a slide deck with bullet points.

“This makes it uniquely effective for explaining data, demonstrating processes, and making abstract concepts more tangible,” the company said in a blog post.

That’s the sell. And honestly, for students, analysts, or even small business owners preparing a client brief—it sounds pretty handy.

Four Tools, One Studio

NotebookLM’s Studio panel is also getting a facelift. Previously, users could only work on one version of each format per notebook—Audio Overviews, Mind Maps, etc. That limitation is gone.

Now, you can create and store multiple versions of the same format inside a single notebook. It’s more flexible, less rigid, and definitely more “Google-y.”

Here’s how the new Studio panel breaks down:

• Audio Overviews

• Video Overviews

• Mind Maps

• Reports

Each one gets its own workspace, and they all live side-by-side. So if you’re creating a narrated audio brief and a detailed report simultaneously, you’re not jumping between tabs. It’s all in one place.

The update will roll out to users over the next few weeks.

What’s New, What’s Familiar

Let’s rewind a bit. NotebookLM isn’t new. It launched in late 2023 as an AI sidekick for students and researchers—a way to make sense of long, dense documents without reading every line.

So far, it’s offered these core tools:

• Audio Overviews that read summaries out loud.

• Mind Maps that sketch out concepts visually.

• Study Guides that give quiz-style prompts.

Video Overviews is the newest addition—and probably the flashiest.

The AI doesn’t just throw together existing images either. It generates visuals that illustrate the point. So if your document is full of stats about, say, solar panel efficiency, it might show a graph or a quote about installation costs.

There’s no need to hunt for stock photos or diagrams. The AI does the legwork.

Why Google Is Betting Big on AI Narration

It’s not just about making notes look cool. Google is leaning hard into AI that communicates like a human—natural speech, relevant visuals, tight pacing.

The idea? Help people understand things faster. Not just read them.

That strategy mirrors other Google tools like Gemini (formerly Bard), which now reads answers aloud, and Search’s new generative AI summaries that blend text, visuals, and voice together.

There’s a bigger trend at play here: multimodal learning.

A 2024 study by McGraw Hill found that retention improves by nearly 50% when text is combined with narrated visuals versus text alone. Google’s tapping into that psychology.

Just one sentence here: Teachers might not love AI doing their job, but students probably will.

Expanding Beyond English

As of now, the feature only works in English. But that’s temporary.

The company has already rolled out other NotebookLM tools in Hindi, Spanish, and 50+ languages. There’s every reason to believe Video Overviews will follow soon.

A full list of supported languages hasn’t been shared yet. But insiders say it’ll begin with major markets in Asia, Europe, and Latin America.

Here’s a quick look at the expansion timeline based on previous NotebookLM rollouts:

That aligns with Google’s broader push to localize AI across its ecosystem—Search, Gemini, Chrome, and Android.

Still a Lab Project, but Getting Sharper

Let’s not forget: NotebookLM still lives inside Google Labs. That makes it technically experimental, even if it’s gaining features fast.

And while the tool is getting smarter, it’s far from perfect.

Some users have reported occasional hallucinations, like a video summarizing points that weren’t actually in the source doc. Others noted mispronunciations or awkward phrasing in the AI voice narration.

Still, early feedback around Video Overviews has been largely positive. One user on Reddit called it “ChatGPT meets PowerPoint, but better.”

Another user wrote: “It just saved me 3 hours of prepping a team brief. I’m not going back.”

What’s Coming Next?

Google says more formats are on the way. What that means exactly isn’t clear yet. But if you’re reading between the lines, think:

• Interactive timelines?

• AI-generated quizzes based on video context?

• Multilingual voiceovers?

They haven’t ruled anything out. And frankly, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Video Overviews pop up in other products soon—Docs, Slides, even YouTube integrations.

For now, though, NotebookLM is where the AI narration magic happens.