Raiza Martin is a senior product manager for AI at Google Labs, where she leads the team behind NotebookLM, an AI-powered research tool that includes a delightful podcast-on-demand feature called “Audio Overviews.” NotebookLM started as a 20% project and has grown into a product that’s spreading across social media and has a Discord server with over 60,000 users. Raiza previously worked on AI Test Kitchen and has a background in startups, payments, and ads. In our conversation, we discuss:
• The origin story of NotebookLM
• The future road map for NotebookLM
• How Google Labs operates differently from the rest of Google
• The development of the “Audio Overviews” feature
• Key metrics and growth of NotebookLM
• Stories about collaborating with author Steven Johnson
• Navigating potential misuse of AI technology
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Brought to you by:
• Explo — Embed customer-facing analytics in your product
• Sprig — Build products for people, not data points
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Find the transcript and show notes at: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/googles-notebooklm-raiza-martin
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Where to find Raiza Martin:
• X: https://x.com/raiza_abubakar
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/whatsaraiza/
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Where to find Lenny:
• Newsletter: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com
• X: https://twitter.com/lennysan
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lennyrachitsky/
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In this episode, we cover:
(00:00) Introduction to NotebookLM
(05:43) The genesis of NotebookLM
(08:08) Innovative features and use cases
(18:52) Building a startup culture within Google
(24:28) Expanding user demographics
(27:30) The product roadmap
(32:18) Other use cases
(36:11) Collaborating with Steven Johnson
(42:49) Ensuring ethical AI
(46:06) Future directions and user engagement
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Production and marketing by https://penname.co/. For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email podcast@lennyrachitsky.com.
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Lenny may be an investor in the companies discussed.
This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.lennysnewsletter.com/subscribe
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