A female hand holding a notebook with words "LLM" on it.

A notebook with the words “LLM” on it. Generated by Ideogram.

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Google’s Illuminate tool is pretty neat – it turns academic papers into interactive conversations. I find it particularly useful since I’ve been using AI to help me prep for interviews. It’s similar to Google’s NotebookLM (see section below), but with a more academic vibe. While NotebookLM appeals to a general audience, Illuminate feels more tailored for technical content, as mentioned on their website:

Illuminate is currently only available for papers hosted on arXiv.org, with audio generation optimized for computer science topics. We expect to add more input content types soon. 

The format feels more of a Q&A rather than a free-flowing chat. Currently, you can’t download the audio, but you can share it on various platforms. It’s worth checking out if you want a fresh way to engage with academic content. Note that there’s also a section on Books with sample generations, but the experiments are limited to academic papers for now.

Screenshot of Google’s Illuminate tool.

NotebookLM by Google

Google’s NotebookLM is like Illuminate’s more approachable cousin. It’s not just for academic papers — you can upload all sorts of documents. It breaks down complex ideas using everyday analogies, appealing to folks without a technical background. The conversations feel like an engaging podcast episode. Plus it lets you download the audio. This means you can add these to your audio library and listen on your phone while you’re out and about. It’s perfect for turning tricky concepts into easy-to-understand, on-the-go content!

Screenshot of Google’s NotebookLM tool.

Comparing Audio Outputs: “Attention Is All You Need”

Let’s see how Illuminate and NotebookLM handle the famous paper “Attention Is All You Need.” I’ve put together a side-by-side comparison of the conversations generated by both tools. As I mentioned earlier, Illuminate takes a more academic approach and dives a bit deeper into the content than NotebookLM. But don’t just take my word for it – have a listen below and see what you think:

Google’s Illuminate generated conversation. Note that the actual audio is on Illuminate’s website.

Google’s NotebookLM generated conversation.

I’ve developed a three-step approach to help me study complex topics using these AI tools. Here’s how I would incorporate them into my study strategy:

  1. Start with NotebookLM for a general overview of the concepts. Its conversational style makes it perfect for listening during a walk around the neighborhood. This initial pass also helps me understand basic ideas without feeling overwhelmed.
  2. Move on to Illuminate for a slightly deeper dive. This step is also great for listening during a walk, though it requires a bit more focus 🙂 Illuminate’s more academic approach helps me decide whether to explore the subject further and prepares me for the actual paper.
  3. Read the actual paper, using a chat-based AI like ChatGPT or Claude to help me understand the details. I engage with these AIs by asking specific questions or requesting clarifications on complex points. This step also serves as a fact-check on the accuracy of the generated content from the previous steps.

I’ve actually been using a similar three-step approach for a while now, but adding NotebookLM and Illuminate to the mix has been a time saver in providing digestible content, increasing interactivity and accessibility. The repetitions help with retention. This approach helps me to gradually build my understanding, from casual learning on-the-go to in-depth study, in a fun and engaging way.