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

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There was actually a writer on the NotebookLM team.

A new viral app has arrived — NotebookLM[1].

This week's Crossing podcast starts with NotebookLM's breakout moment.

I'm sure you've all heard the audio content generated by NotebookLM and been amazed by its ability to organize and express information. If you haven't experienced how impressive it is, check out this week's episode.

After the initial shock, everyone started wondering: how did Google Labs, the incubator behind NotebookLM, build this thing?

And now that NotebookLM is here, how will AI transform content? To get the conversation started, we've compiled 10 fascinating use cases for NotebookLM.

Meanwhile, the second half of this week's episode features a roundtable discussion we moderated at Sheng Huo Huo Po[2]'s "Future&Remix" event in Hong Kong before the Mid-Autumn Festival. The topic: "How Will AI Change Content?" Our guests represented nearly the entire content production chain:

  • Content creator (Lin Yi, Bilibili up主)
  • Tool maker (Gary Ngan, CFO of Meitu)
  • Industry researcher (Ma Jinxin Yolanda, faculty at The University of Hong Kong's Journalism and Media Studies department, teaches AI-related courses, former innovation advisor at UNDP Asia headquarters)

In this roundtable, we explored what new changes emerge when AI dramatically lowers the barrier to content creation.

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

  1. The Fair launches "AI Will"[3] product
  2. Overseas entrepreneurs looking to build engineering teams in China? Chinese engineers seeking opportunities with Silicon Valley companies? Contact Crossing's assistant on WeChat: Rwkfbcianvd

🟢 Part 1 — Starting with the Viral NotebookLM

A long-overdue chat format. Meant to talk about a cross-promotion event and some thoughts, but then a new viral product appeared

  • 04:50 What is NotebookLM
  • 06:23 We fed Crossing's materials to NotebookLM — hear the audio it generated
  • 08:17 Could NotebookLM be the next killer app?
  • 09:46 We found 10 fascinating use cases for NotebookLM: some built new products on it, others went wild with ideas
  • 19:35 NotebookLM's been hot for a while — why are we only talking about it now?
  • 20:27 At first glance it looked like a startup product; what's the story behind its incubator, Google Labs?
  • 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, "how AI affects content" gets new answers — e.g., summarizing documents for editors and reporters
  • 27:40 A thought experiment: could NotebookLM make traditional news reading more engaging?

🟢 Part 2 — Roundtable: "How Will AI Change Content?"

Sheng Huo Huo Po Future&Remix original recording: HKU professor, Bilibili up主, and Meitu CFO on 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, journalism has been racing to keep up with technological change; old content power structures have already been broken
  • 31:55 From lab to product feature: what role AI plays in Meitu's products
  • 35:20 AlphaGo changed my choice of 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 and 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 dynamics of content production?

  • 43:31 Designers who lose jobs at Company A may find ten more at Company B, because AI unlocks productivity
  • 47:25 Content access is becoming more democratized; next, the information ecosystem will continue to dynamically adjust and even reshuffle

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 to control the quality of our information diet

  • 1:03:09 Track your sources, and 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 Crossing Podcast

🚦 We track the industry shifts and entrepreneurial opportunities brought by the new wave of AI technology. "Crossing" is Steve Jobs' metaphor for Apple — standing at the intersection of technology and liberal arts, where great products are born. AI is transforming industries across the board. We seek out, interview, and bring together "active participants" of the AI era to explore and embrace the changes and new possibilities with 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 with me, bounce ideas, and connect on what's next. Koji on Jike[4], Koji's website[5]

👧🏻 Host Ronghui: Works at a tech VC, former Silicon Valley correspondent for CBNweekly. Ronghui on Jike[6]

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References

[1] NotebookLM: https://notebooklm.google/

[2] Sheng Huo Huo Po: https://www.shengfm.cn/

[3] "AI Will": https://pagen.so/page/qnbud4m04yiwqj

[4] Koji on Jike: https://okjk.co/0JSUes

[5] Koji's website: https://koji.super.site/

[6] Ronghui on Jike: https://okjk.co/0cbnYV