Google’s NotebookLM adds ‘Deep Research’ tool, support for more file types

Google is updating NotebookLMthe AI-powered note-taking and research assistant, with a new tool that helps users simplify complex research, along with support for additional file types.

The service is launching ‘Deep Research’, a tool that will automate and simplify complex online research. Google says the tool works like a dedicated researcher, as it can compile a detailed report or suggest relevant articles, documents or websites.

Deep Research can take your question, create a research plan, and then browse sites for you. After a few minutes, it will present you with a source-based report that you can add directly to your notebook. While Deep Research runs in the background, you can continue to add other sources.

The idea behind Deep Research is to help you build a deep, organized knowledge base on a topic without having to leave your workflow.

You can access Deep Research by starting a search in the source table and selecting “Web” as the source. You can then choose your research style. You can select “Deep Research” when you are looking for a complete update and in-depth analysis. Alternatively, you can select “Quick Search” if you want a quick search.

In terms of added support for more file types, you can now upload Google Sheets, Drive files as URLs, PDFs from Google Drive, and Microsoft Word Documents. The tech giant says this change will allow users to do things like create summaries from spreadsheets and quickly copy-paste multiple Drive files as URLs.

Google says these new updates will be available to all users within a week.

Since its launch in late 2023, Google has been building NotebookLM with additional functionality. Earlier this year, Google introduced Video Overviews to NotebookLM to let users turn dense media like raw notes, PDFs, and images into digestible visual presentations. The plugin is based on the Audio Overviews feature, which creates an AI podcast based on documents shared in NotebookLM, such as course readings or legal briefs. In May, Google released NotebookLM apps for Android and iOSmaking the service available beyond the desktop.