Google has rolled out a major update to NotebookLM by introducing AI Shorts, a new feature that lets users generate short vertical videos directly from their notebooks. Unlike the existing explainer and cinematic video overviews, the new Shorts are available to all NotebookLM users for free, making AI-powered video creation more accessible than ever.
The feature is designed for mobile-first content, producing videos that are approximately one minute long in a vertical format similar to YouTube Shorts, Instagram Reels, and TikTok. Each video includes AI-generated narration, captions, images, and motion graphics based entirely on the documents uploaded to the notebook.
How AI Shorts Work
Users simply open a NotebookLM notebook, navigate to the Studio section, select Video Overview, and choose the new Shorts option. NotebookLM automatically suggests topics based on the uploaded documents, or users can enter their own custom prompt to decide what the video should focus on.
Once generated, the AI creates a concise, visually engaging summary using information only from the notebook’s sources. This ensures the content remains grounded in the uploaded documents rather than pulling information from the wider web.
Built for Social Media
The biggest difference between AI Shorts and previous NotebookLM videos is the format. Shorts are optimized for smartphones with vertical layouts, large captions, faster pacing, and shorter runtimes. Google has also improved the visual quality by combining AI-generated images with animated graphics, creating videos that feel more polished and engaging for social media platforms.
Because many people watch videos without sound, captions are displayed throughout the video, making the content easier to understand even when muted.
Powered by Google’s Latest AI
Google says the feature is powered by its latest lightweight image generation technology, enabling fast creation of high-quality visuals while keeping the service free for all NotebookLM users. Although video generation may still take a few minutes, users receive notifications through the NotebookLM mobile app once their videos are ready.
Useful for Students, Creators, and Professionals
AI Shorts can summarize research papers, explain study notes, create educational content, highlight business reports, present project updates, or even generate motivational videos from personal data such as fitness progress. Since NotebookLM only uses uploaded documents as its knowledge source, users maintain greater control over the accuracy and relevance of the generated content.
Why This Update Matters
NotebookLM has quickly become one of Google’s most popular AI productivity tools, helping users organize documents, summarize information, create study materials, and generate podcasts and videos. The addition of free AI Shorts expands its capabilities beyond note-taking into content creation, making it easier for anyone to transform written information into engaging videos.
With vertical video continuing to dominate social media platforms, Google’s latest update positions NotebookLM as a powerful AI tool for educators, students, marketers, creators, and professionals who want to produce high-quality short-form videos without requiring advanced editing skills.