NotebookLM introduces featured notebooks with expert-curated content

Google announced the launch of featured notebooks for NotebookLM on July 14, 2025, introducing a curated collection of high-quality sources from respected authors, researchers, publications, and nonprofits. The announcement extends the artificial intelligence research platform's capabilities beyond user-generated content to professionally curated materials.

The featured notebooks collection includes diverse content spanning scientific explorations, practical guides, and expert commentary. According to the announcement materials, the initial lineup features longevity advice from Eric Topol, author of "Super Agers," expert analysis and predictions for 2025 from The Economist's annual World Ahead report, and advice content based on Arthur C. Brooks' "How to Build A Life" columns published in The Atlantic.

Summary

Who: Google announced featured notebooks for NotebookLM, partnering with The Economist, The Atlantic, and expert authors including Eric Topol, Arthur C. Brooks, and Jacqueline Nesi.

What: A curated collection of high-quality notebooks featuring professional content including scientific explorations, practical guides, expert advice, earnings reports, and literary works. Featured notebooks maintain full compatibility with NotebookLM's research capabilities including citations, audio overviews, and mind mapping.

When: The announcement occurred on July 14, 2025, with desktop rollout beginning the same day.

Where: Featured notebooks appear in a dedicated section on NotebookLM homepages, accessible to existing platform users without additional subscription requirements.

Why: The feature addresses user needs for high-quality source material while establishing NotebookLM as a professional research platform. The initiative builds upon 140,000 public notebooks created since June 2025 and supports the platform's evolution from experimental tool to enterprise-ready research assistant serving over 80,000 organizations.

Additional notebooks include a science-focused guide to Yellowstone National Park with geological explanations and biodiversity insights, an overview of long-term human wellbeing trends from Oxford University-affiliated project Our World In Data, and science-backed parenting advice from psychology professor Jacqueline Nesi's Techno Sapiens newsletter. The collection also provides access to the complete works of William Shakespeare for students and scholars, alongside a notebook tracking Q1 2025 earnings reports from the top 50 public companies worldwide.

Each featured notebook maintains full compatibility with NotebookLM's existing capabilities. Users can read original source material, pose questions, explore specific topics with citations to original content, listen to pre-generated Audio Overviews, or examine main themes using the Mind Maps feature. The platform's signature source-grounded responses ensure all generated content links back to the original material.

The feature builds upon NotebookLM's public sharing functionality introduced in June 2025. More than 140,000 public notebooks have been created since that launch, covering a wide range of topics across multiple disciplines. Google plans to continue introducing new featured notebooks, including additional collections from partnerships with The Economist and The Atlantic.

Partnership perspectives

The Economist's involvement represents the publication's first AI-focused partnership. "This is the first AI-focused partnership The Economist has signed and we are excited for NotebookLM users to explore a selection of articles from The Economist's annual special issue, The World Ahead 2025," said Luke Bradley-Jones, President of The Economist. The partnership features forward-looking journalism examining the most important trends and events shaping 2025.

Nicholas Thompson, CEO of The Atlantic, described the collaboration as part of future publishing possibilities. "The books of the future won't just be static: some will talk to you, some will evolve with you, and some will exist in forms we can't imagine now. We're delighted to partner with Google in its pioneering work on this front," Thompson stated.

The partnerships indicate growing collaboration between traditional publishing entities and AI platforms. These arrangements provide publishers with new distribution channels while offering AI platforms access to high-quality, professionally edited content that enhances user experience.

Technical implementation and accessibility

Featured notebooks appear in a dedicated section on users' NotebookLM homepages. The implementation requires no additional configuration or subscription fees for existing NotebookLM users. Access begins rolling out to desktop users on July 14, 2025, with broader platform availability planned for subsequent releases.

The technical infrastructure supports the same interaction patterns available for user-generated notebooks. This includes citation-supported chat functionality, audio overview generation, and visual mind mapping capabilities. Each featured notebook maintains the platform's privacy standards, with user interactions remaining isolated from AI model training processes.

Featured notebooks integrate with NotebookLM's existing organizational features. Users can bookmark featured content, combine it with personal sources, or share modified versions through the platform's public sharing capabilities. This integration enables seamless workflow transitions between curated professional content and user-specific research materials.

Marketing implications

For marketing professionals, featured notebooks represent a significant development in content curation and knowledge management tools. The platform's evolution from experimental research assistant to professionally curated content hub indicates growing enterprise adoption and commercial viability.

NotebookLM's progression from experimental status to business-focused features has accelerated throughout 2024 and 2025. The platform removed its "Experimental" label in October 2024, introduced NotebookLM Plus premium features in December 2024, and launched mobile applications in May 2025.

The featured notebooks initiative builds upon this commercialization trajectory by establishing partnerships with premium content providers. This strategy positions NotebookLM as a professional research platform capable of serving enterprise customers requiring authoritative source material for strategic planning and content development.

Marketing teams utilizing AI research tools for competitive analysis, market research, and content strategy development gain access to professionally curated sources without manual source compilation. The partnership with The Economist provides access to forward-looking trend analysis particularly relevant for strategic planning processes.

Industry context and competitive positioning

The announcement arrives amid expanding AI integration across Google's product portfolio. Google has been rapidly deploying audio generation capabilities from NotebookLM to search interfaces, introducing Audio Overviews in Search Labs experiments during June 2025.

The featured notebooks launch differentiates NotebookLM from general-purpose AI assistants by emphasizing source credibility and citation accuracy. This positioning targets users requiring verifiable information sources rather than conversational AI interactions, appealing particularly to research-focused professionals in marketing, academia, and strategic planning roles.

Previous platform developments have established NotebookLM's business viability. Over 80,000 organizations currently utilize the platform, with millions of individual users accessing research capabilities. The transition from experimental status to enterprise adoption indicates market validation for AI-powered research tools.

The competitive landscape includes Microsoft Copilot, OpenAI's research applications, and specialized academic research platforms. NotebookLM's approach emphasizes source-grounded responses and multi-modal content analysis, differentiating it from conversational AI assistants that prioritize general knowledge synthesis over source verification.

Platform evolution and future developments

The featured notebooks announcement represents the latest phase in NotebookLM's rapid development cycle. The platform has evolved from experimental research tool to enterprise-ready platform within 12 months, introducing significant capabilities including interactive audio features, premium subscription tiers, and mobile accessibility.

Mobile application launch in May 2025 expanded platform accessibility to on-the-go research scenarios. The introduction of offline audio playback and cross-platform sharing capabilities addressed user feedback requesting greater flexibility in content consumption patterns.

The December 2024 introduction of NotebookLM Plus established premium tiers targeting enterprise customers with enhanced capacity limits, customization options, and administrative controls. This commercial expansion preceded the featured notebooks launch by seven months, establishing revenue models before extending platform accessibility through professional content partnerships.

Google's development timeline suggests continued innovation in AI-powered research interfaces throughout 2025. From NotebookLM's audio capabilities introduction in October 2024 to search integration experiments in June 2025, the company has maintained an accelerated pace of feature deployment across its AI portfolio.

Data privacy and enterprise considerations

NotebookLM maintains strict data privacy protocols across all features, including featured notebooks. User interactions with curated content remain isolated from AI model training processes, addressing enterprise concerns about proprietary information exposure through AI platform usage.

The platform's privacy-focused design enables professional usage scenarios where data security requirements prohibit information sharing with external training datasets. This positioning supports adoption among organizations requiring AI assistance while maintaining strict information governance protocols.

Enterprise-grade protection forms a core component of NotebookLM Plus offerings. The service provides availability through multiple channels including Google Workspace for educational institutions, Google Cloud for enterprise customers, and planned integration with Google One AI Premium services.

Administrative controls enable organizational deployment with appropriate access management and usage monitoring capabilities. These features support marketing departments requiring AI research tools while maintaining compliance with corporate information security policies.

Timeline

• October 17, 2024: NotebookLM removes "Experimental" label, introduces Audio Overview enhancements
• December 13, 2024: NotebookLM Plus premium tier announcement with enterprise features and Gemini 2.0 Flash integration
• May 19, 2025: NotebookLM mobile applications launch for iOS and Android with offline capabilities
• June 2025: NotebookLM introduces public notebook sharing functionality
• July 14, 2025: Google launches featured notebooks with partnerships from The Economist, The Atlantic, and expert authors