Most learners struggle with processing dense research materials, lengthy documents, and complex information scattered across multiple sources. But the deeper issue is that everyone learns differently.
Visual-spatial learners get lost in walls of text and need to see information organised graphically. Sequential learners struggle when information jumps around without a clear logical progression. Many learners need both auditory and visual input simultaneously to truly retain information, something traditional text-only materials simply can’t provide.
Traditional study methods force learners to adopt a one-size-fits-all approach: read everything, take notes, and try to synthesise manually. This often leads to information overload, poor retention, and difficulty grasping connections between concepts.
Google NotebookLM’s recent feature, Video Overview, addresses these fundamental learning style mismatches by transforming text-heavy materials into multimodal presentations that work for different types of learners.
How to access: https://notebooklm.google.com/
Google NotebookLM’s Video Overview can help you:
- Create presentation-ready content: Generate professional-looking videos from raw research materials
- Synthesise multiple sources: Combine research papers, articles, and notes into one coherent presentation
- Support different learning styles: Engage both visual and auditory learners simultaneously while accelerating comprehension.
Example:
Say you’re researching AI ethics for a project and have collected 10 research papers, several blog posts, and your own notes. Here’s how Video Overview can help:
- Upload sources: Add all your PDFs, articles, and notes to a NotebookLM notebook.
- Generate video: Select “Video Overview” and let the AI process your materials.
- Review output: Get a structured video presentation with slides, charts, and narration that synthesises your sources.
- Learn efficiently: Absorb key concepts, connections, and insights in a fraction of the time it would take to read everything.
What makes Video Overview special?
- Multimodal learning: Combines visual slides with narration for enhanced retention.
- Automatic synthesis: No need to manually organise information. AI finds patterns and connections.
- Professional quality: Generates presentation-ready content without design skills.
Known limitations
Processing takes longer than audio overviews, works best with text-heavy documents, and offers limited visual customisation options.
Note: The tools and analysis featured in this section demonstrated clear value based on our internal testing. Our recommendations are entirely independent and not influenced by the tool creators.
Mint’s ‘AI tool of the week’ is excerpted from Leslie D’Monte’s weekly TechTalk newsletter. Subscribe to Mint’s newsletters to get them directly in your email inbox.
Note: The tools and analysis featured in this section demonstrated clear value based on our internal testing. Our recommendations are entirely independent and not influenced by the tool creators.
Jaspreet Bindra is co-founder and CEO of AI&Beyond. Anuj Magazine is also a co-founder.