Google Cloud unveils enhanced NotebookLM Plus for business

Google Cloud has announced the release of NotebookLM Plus, the latest iteration of its AI-powered research assistant NotebookLM, which is now accessible to Gemini for Google Workspace customers.

NotebookLM, lauded by Time Magazine as one of the 'Best Inventions of 2024', is used by millions of individuals and numerous organisations to improve understanding and interaction with essential data. Users upload source documents, including Google Docs, Slides, PDFs, web URLs, and text, to create insightful, engaging information outputs like summaries, briefings, and audio overviews.

The new NotebookLM Plus version offers organisational users increased functionalities, such as the ability to derive deeper insights from data and format and length customisations for their notebooks. Additionally, users can produce shared notebooks for team collaboration and access usage analytics.

NotebookLM Plus presents enhanced privacy and security features that ensure all sources, queries, and responses are confined within the organisation. Importantly, these elements do not contribute to training models or undergo human review. Only authorised documents from Google Workspace can be used, and users possess more control over who can access their notebooks. Permissions are restricted to intra-organisational sharing.

Businesses, schools, and universities can use NotebookLM Plus as an additional service via Gemini for Google Workspace. The software can also be acquired independently through Google Cloud. A consumer version is planned for inclusion in Google One AI Premium by early 2025.

NotebookLM Plus incorporates enterprise-grade data protection for organisational use. It guarantees that any uploaded data, queries, and responses remain within the organisation's secure domain. Customer data remains proprietary and is not shared beyond organisational boundaries.

Sales teams find NotebookLM Plus useful in adding product documentation, competitor analysis, and other resources to streamline preparations for customer meetings. Marketing professionals utilise the capabilities of NotebookLM Plus to craft summaries of customer behaviour, campaign planning, and other tasks based on internal research and analysis.

Educational institutions use the tool to supplement district strategies and learning materials, generating real-time teaching aids such as lesson plans, quizzes, and discussion topics. Audio overviews can also benefit students, enhancing learning accessibility and engagement.

Google Cloud emphasises, "NotebookLM Plus also comes with additional privacy and security features that ensure sources, queries, and responses stay within the organisation and are not used to train models or reviewed by humans." Farhan Qureshi, Country Director at Google Malaysia, introduced the initiative at the launch of Malaysia's National AI Office, highlighting AI's role in public service transformations. The initiative is set to broaden AI implementation across various sectors, encouraging efficiency and deeper data engagement.