Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

NotebookLM's automatically generated podcasts are surprisingly effective

simonwillison.net

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

201–210 of 511 posts

Re: NotebookLM's automatically generated podcasts are surprisingly effective

#201

Post by dustingetz »

timoth3y wrote: post #21

NotebookLM's is incredibly good at generating the affect and structure of a quality podcast. This is in-line with all art, music, and video created by LMM at the moment. They are imitating a structure and affect, the quality of the content is largely irrelevant. I think the interesting thing is that most people don't really care, and AI is not to blame for that. Most books published today have the affect of a book, b…

yes, podcasting is a goto market strategy. One reason there are so many VC podcasts is because it is how GPs (VCs who fundraise) reach LPs (the money that invests in venture funds).

Re: NotebookLM's automatically generated podcasts are surprisingly effective

#204

Post by MrScruff »

Al-Khwarizmi wrote: post #86
peutetre wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But why would I buy those books or listen to those podcasts that are synthetic affectations of no substance?

I wouldn't read an AI-generated book (except maybe once as a curiosity), but I would definitely listen to AI-generated music if it were good enough. Reading a book is a time investment so I want it to convey the thoughts of another human being, otherwise it would feel like wasting my time. Listening to music, on the other hand, often is something that I do while I exercise, to keep a brisk pace and not get bored. As…

I think it comes down to your area of interest. As a musician and music lover, I spend a significant amount of time trying to find or create music that is both original and good. AI generated music can be a competent imitation of well established ideas and forms, but that’s of zero value to me - I’m not looking for ‘more of the same’ - quite the opposite.

Re: NotebookLM's automatically generated podcasts are surprisingly effective

#205

Post by cainxinth »

whyenot wrote: post #17

This is amazing. I uploaded the instruction manual for a Scholander pressure chamber (a piece of equipment for measuring plant moisture stress) and made a podcast from it. The information in the podcast was accurate, it included some light banter and jokes, while still getting across the important topics in the instructions. I don't know what I would use a podcast like this for, but the fact that something like this…

> I don't know what I would use a podcast like this for…

Say you need to read those instructions, but it’s also really nice out and you want to go for a jog: two birds, one stone.

Re: NotebookLM's automatically generated podcasts are surprisingly effective

#207

Post by formerly_proven »

caulk wrote: post #120
authorfly wrote: post #90

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Different strokes for different folks... We all seek different kinds of quality; I don't find Peruns videos to have any quality except volume. He reads bullet points he has prepared, and makes predictable dad jokes in monotone, re-uses and reruns the same points, icons, slides, etc. Just personally, I find it really samey and some of the reporting has been delayed so much it's entirely detached from the ground by the…

Drifting off topic, but do you have any examples of those analysis/sitrep content creators you prefer?

https://www.youtube.com/@anderspuck

Re: NotebookLM's automatically generated podcasts are surprisingly effective

#208

Post by cainxinth »

famahar wrote: post #105

I uploaded my detailed game design document for a project I've been working on in my free time and it was kind of a weird confidence boost. The two hosts seem to treat ideas like their the most insightful relevatory information they've ever heard. After a few uploads of other documents you start to notice the same overly surprised tone.

The prompt affects that a lot. If I input my writing and ask an LLM to “evaluate,” it will tell me how astute and intriguing my ideas are (often to the point of hyperbole). If I ask instead for it to “critique” me, I’ll get a much less complimentary response about the same content.

Re: NotebookLM's automatically generated podcasts are surprisingly effective

#209

Post by alickz »

timoth3y wrote: post #21

NotebookLM's is incredibly good at generating the affect and structure of a quality podcast. This is in-line with all art, music, and video created by LMM at the moment. They are imitating a structure and affect, the quality of the content is largely irrelevant. I think the interesting thing is that most people don't really care, and AI is not to blame for that. Most books published today have the affect of a book, b…

I think the average person is more interested in the output than in the process e.g. more people want to read The Shining than want to read about how The Shining was written

Re: NotebookLM's automatically generated podcasts are surprisingly effective

#210

Post by drw85 »

GaggiX wrote: post #117
probably_wrong wrote: post #97

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think you are leaving the human out of the loop. When a friend of mine recommends me something I'll lower my skepticism because I'm assuming my friend would not send me garbage. If a random podcaster says "I've proved that P=NP" I'd say "no you didn't", but if a math professor sends me that same link I'll keep listening to see where this goes. And I've definitely read texts making wild assertions that only at the e…

Even if you think your friend would only send good things, you would realize that something is vomit in less than an hour. I cannot understand someone listening to something for an entire hour and then whining that they waste their entire hour and it was vomit, you're not in a cinema, you didn't pay a ticket for it, you listen to something because you like it or move on.

Maybe they thought their friend wanted feedback, or something in return.

In that case i would listen to all of it aswell, otherwise i can't give honest feedback.

Post reply on HN