After NotebookLM went viral, we summarized 10 use cases and revisited an old question: How does AI affect content?

"How Is AI Changing Content?" That was the theme of a roundtable we moderated at "Future & Remix," an event hosted by Sheng Huo Huo Po in Hong Kong just before the Mid-Autumn Festival. Our guests spanned nearly the entire content production chain: a content creator (Lin Yi, Bilibili up主), a tool maker (Gary Ngan, CFO of Meitu), and an industry researcher (Yolanda Ma Jinxin, who teaches at The University of Hong Kong's Journalism and Media Studies Centre, runs AI-related courses, and previously served as an innovation advisor at the UNDP Asia headquarters). We wanted to explore what new changes might emerge now that AI has dramatically lowered the barrier to content creation.

Little did we know that right around then, a new app would go viral — NotebookLM. We all heard the podcasts generated by NotebookLM on social media and were amazed by its ability to organize and express content. We also wanted to explore how Google Labs, the incubator behind NotebookLM, built this application, and to revisit the question we discussed at that event: with NotebookLM's emergence, might there be new answers to "How is AI changing content"?

We've drawn out some thoughts and responses from our guests' answers, offered here as conversation starters. We welcome your perspectives, starting from our introduction to NotebookLM and ten use cases.

🆕 In "Crossroads Bulletin Board," we'll invite friends of Crossroads to share updates on their latest products, events, hiring, and more. Last week we covered two friends' new projects; this week we have two fresh AI stories to share:

• The Fair launches "AI Will" product
• Overseas entrepreneurs looking to build engineering teams in China? Chinese engineers seeking opportunities with Silicon Valley companies? Contact the Crossroads assistant on WeChat: Rwkfbcianvd

🟢 Part 1 — Starting with the Viral NotebookLM

03:32 A long-overdue chat format. We planned to talk about a crossover event and our reflections, but a new viral product appeared

04:50 What is NotebookLM?

06:23 We fed Crossroads materials to NotebookLM and experienced its generated audio

08:17 Could NotebookLM be the next killer app?

09:46 We found ten NotebookLM use cases — some have built new products on it, others have wild ideas

19:35 NotebookLM has been hot for a while; why are we only talking about it now?

20:27 At first glance we thought it was a startup product — what's the story of Google Labs, the incubator behind it?

23:02 Deep dive into Google Labs: the lead has been at Google for 15 years

23:47 On the NotebookLM team, there's actually a writer

26:14 With NotebookLM, there are new answers to "How does AI affect content" — for example, summarizing documents for editors and reporters

27:40 A thought experiment: could NotebookLM make traditional news reading more engaging?

🟢 Part 2 — Roundtable: "How Is AI Changing Content?"

29:20 Sheng Huo Huo Po Future & Remix original audio: A HKU professor, Bilibili up主, and Meitu CFO discuss how AI is changing the content we consume

Roundtable Question 1: What has AI changed in your life/work over the past decade versus the past year?

• 30:35 For over a decade, the news industry has been racing to catch up with technological change; old content power dynamics have been shattered
• 31:55 From lab to product feature: what role does AI play in Meitu's products?
• 35:20 AlphaGo changed the direction of my major

Roundtable Question 2: How deeply has AI penetrated information production, and what has gone from impossible to possible?

• 37:47 In news gathering and production, AI has improved newsroom efficiency, but traditional journalism's business model is crumbling
• 41:11 Meitu's AI features: both generative AI and traditional AI matter
• 43:20 More people are using AI tools to share their ideas with the world

Roundtable Question 3: What changes has AI brought to the supply-demand relationship in content production?

• 43:31 A designer might lose a job at Company A but gain ten more at Company B, because AI unlocks productivity
• 47:25 Content access is becoming more democratized; next, the information ecosystem will continue dynamically adjusting, even reshuffling

Roundtable Question 4: What problems has AI created in our lives?

• 51:13 AI-generated answers aren't necessarily fact-based; cultivating information literacy has become a challenge for the entire ecosystem
• 55:52 Maybe we can "fight fire with fire"
• 56:25 Misinformation isn't a new problem, but it's not an unsolvable one

Roundtable Question 5: Stories from frontline content creators using AI

Roundtable Question 6: As information consumers, how do we control the quality of our information diet?

• 1:03:09 Mind your sources; take breaks sometimes
• 1:04:17 Use GPT as a quick assistant for understanding relevant information and concepts, but not as a primary channel
• 1:05:28 Follow professional journalists on social media to ensure reliable sources

Subscribe to the "Crossroads" podcast 🚦 We track the new industry shifts and entrepreneurial opportunities brought by the new wave of AI technology. Crossroads is a metaphor Steve Jobs used for Apple — standing at the intersection of technology and liberal arts, where great products are born. AI is transforming every industry. We seek out, interview, and bring together "active agents" of the AI era, exploring and embracing new changes and possibilities alongside them.

👦🏻 Host Koji: Co-founder of The Fair and Tangdao. I believe technology, especially AI, will fundamentally transform society and empower humanity. Welcome to chat, exchange ideas, and connect on what's next. Koji on Jike, Koji's website

👧🏻 Host Ronghui: Works at a tech VC; former Silicon Valley correspondent for Yicai Weekly. Ronghui on Jike

Join the Crossroads membership group ☀️ First-hand AI news and insights

👫🏻 We encourage dating / making friends / finding future collaborators

🦀 Add the assistant on WeChat to join: Rwkfbcianvd, or scan the QR code below

Special Sponsor:

🥷 Ninjafy AI Interview Copilot and Assistant 📚 MyBookDigest — 15-Minute Book Summaries