September 24, 2024 at 2:10 PM
Techradar editor Graham Barlow tried out Google's new podcast creator and claimed it couldn't tell the difference between a real podcast and one created by AI.
Barlow recently a Google NotebookLM An AI called NotebookLM takes an article, blog post, or web page, and with one click creates an audio file of two people having a conversation that sounds so natural and real you wouldn’t believe you were listening to two real people. They talk about the topic with passion and knowledge, they sound engaged and interested, and they relate to each other so naturally that Barlow says it’s indistinguishable from a real podcast. Even the little snorts, mispronunciations, slang, and little laughs are there to make it sound completely human.
Creating an audio file is very easy. Barlow used his own article to create the podcast, and while it took the AI a few minutes to create it, NotebookLM generated a WAV file. The audio recording is about eight minutes long, and since Barlow listened to it, he no longer trusts his ability to tell what’s real and what’s not. You can listen to the podcast by clicking on the video below:
The AI explained key concepts through the “speakers’” conversation and even expanded the article in new and interesting directions that Barlow claims he hadn’t thought of. The “presenters” even provided practical examples of what Barlow’s article was about, taken not from the article but from their broader knowledge of the subject. Most importantly: the podcast was professionally flawless.
The era of artificial intelligence is approaching
It’s clear that we’re currently at the beginning of a new era of AI, with programs like ChatGPT, Gemini, and most recently Apple Intelligence starting to become more widespread. And while NotebookLM doesn’t have a ton of customization options right now — for now, you can just play around with the launch speed — it will soon let you choose the artist you want, their accent, their experience, their political leanings, their personality, and how they look.
AI is already being used to create movies, and it’s very likely that in the near future, the movie will be created as it’s being shown. According to Barlow, a friend’s daughter is applying to college right now, and many institutions are saying they no longer ask for certain data and paperwork because so many people are manipulating it with AI that it doesn’t make any sense. All of this can be traced back to NotebookLM, which is already capable of creating a flawless podcast from a single article with the push of a button.
“I'm not sure I can define reality yet, I'm still getting used to it.” Barlow says.
