Research & Knowledge

How do I use Gemini Notebook (formerly NotebookLM) to research my own documents, notes, and transcripts?

Gemini Notebook (called NotebookLM until July 2026) answers only from the sources you upload (PDFs, docs, links, YouTube videos, audio) and cites the exact passage, which makes it far more trustworthy than a general chatbot for working over your own material. Founders use it to interrogate customer call transcripts, industry reports, legal documents and board packs, and to turn them into audio or video overviews. Notebooks sync with the Gemini app. Keep one notebook per project and it stays sharp; it is free to start.

Part of AI summarizers on eChai Explore.

On the AI map, 29 October 2026 AI assistants AI browsers Research and search

Go deeper

20 resources.

More in Search & Research

Why use AI (ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, deep research modes) instead of Google? 19 → How do founders run 'deep research' to get report-quality answers? 21 → How do I fact-check AI answers and avoid hallucinations? 19 → Which AI research tool should I actually use: ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity, or Grok? 9 → How do I write research prompts that get consistently better answers? 18 → How do founders use AI for market research and market sizing (TAM/SAM/SOM)? 18 → How do I use AI for competitor research and ongoing competitor monitoring? 18 → How can AI help me understand my customers: interview analysis, synthesis, and user research? 18 → How do I get my startup recommended and cited in AI answers (AEO/GEO)? 6 → What can AI agents and AI browsers (ChatGPT Work, Comet, Claude in Chrome) do for my research, and are they worth it? 17 → Google clicks are collapsing because of AI answers. What does that mean for my startup's traffic and distribution? 19 → Is it safe to paste confidential company data into AI tools while researching? 18 → How do I use Perplexity for research, and can I get Pro free in India? 7 → Which AI search engine is best: Perplexity, ChatGPT search or Google AI Mode? 7 → How do I turn off AI Overviews in Google Search? 5 →

Also in Starting Up

The same ground, over in Understand your customers, our Starting Up track.

What is an ideal customer profile and how do I define mine? 24 → What is a beachhead market and why does everyone say to start with one? 1 →
eChai Partner Brands The partnership →