Google launched "Discover Sources," a new feature that lets NotebookLM search the web directly within your notebooks—and I'm already addicted. This feature helps you find relevant web content by simply describing your topic, after which NotebookLM searches and summarizes the most relevant sources, which you can add to your notebook with one click.
If you do a lot of online research, Discover Sources is a big deal. When you describe what you're looking for, NotebookLM picks out up to 10 of the most relevant web sources, complete with annotated summaries explaining why each source matters to your topic. Then, with a single click, they're part of your knowledge base. No more switching between browser tabs, copying URLs, or manually uploading sources. Like I said—I'm already addicted!
Over the past few months, I've found myself using NotebookLM more and more, and Notion and Roam less and less. Roam’s elegant bidirectional linking remains unmatched for certain types of thinking, and Notion’s databases and rudimentary AI are powerful—but both require a significant amount of manual work.
With "Discover Sources," NotebookLM feels like the future—or at least a preview of the future. It's the first note-taking tool I've used that actually thinks with me instead of just organizing what I thought yesterday.
As always your thoughts and comments are both welcome and encouraged. -s
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Shelly Palmer is the Professor of Advanced Media in Residence at Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications and CEO of The Palmer Group, a consulting practice that helps Fortune 500 companies with technology, media and marketing. Named he covers tech and business for , is a regular commentator on CNN and writes a popular . He's a , and the creator of the popular, free online course, . Follow or visit .
