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Google Reportedly Working on a Mysterious 'Magic View' for NotebookLM

The new feature resembles a Lite Brite, but don't expect it immediately.

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Headshot of Blake Stimac
Blake Stimac Writer
Blake has over a decade of experience writing for the web, with a focus on mobile phones, where he covered the smartphone boom of the 2010s and the broader tech scene. When he's not in front of a keyboard, you'll most likely find him playing video games, watching horror flicks, or hunting down a good churro.
Blake Stimac
2 min read
notebook-lm.png

NotebookLM may receive a new feature, currently code-named Magic View. 

 Google

Google is continually expanding and strengthening the features for NotebookLM, its free AI-powered research assistant. An upcoming feature, code-named Magic View, should eventually land in the Studio panel alongside popular features like Audio and Video Overviews. 

At the moment, there's no clear indication as to what Magic View is (or will do) when it formally arrives in NotebookLM, but it's clear that Google keeps improving what I'd consider its best AI tool available today. 

The leak comes from the AI news site, Testing Catalog, which has spotted several upcoming NotebookLM features through feature flag analysis and code review. A representative for Google did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Google officially released Video Overviews in late July, bringing a more visual approach to its successful Audio Overview feature that has since expanded into several other products in the tech giant's portfolio. Whatever the actual function of the upcoming Magic View, it seems to be part of Google's effort to visualize your data sources. 

Remember Lite Brite?

A screenshot grabbed by Testing Catalog shows Magic View as a dotted grid with plot points filled in with different colors. If you remember the kids' toy Lite Brite, it sort of looks like that, but with a larger grid. 

The plot points could represent an assortment of potential things, but we'll hold any specific guesses until the picture becomes clearer. According to Testing Catalog, it could "take the form of a game, an app, or something more experimental." It wouldn't be surprising if Magic View was focused on learning or aimed at students, as this is where NotebookLM shines.

Like most features within the Studio panel of NotebookLM, Magic View will be a feature you can optionally generate. It appears that it'll be nestled under a Notebook Apps dropdown, which is also new. We'd expect upcoming flash cards and interactive quizzes to find a home here, too. 

There's no date for the release since nothing has been announced, but don't expect it soon. If it were built out further, we would likely have a better idea of its function within the code. Since it's not, the feature is probably in early development.

For more, don't miss the 11 things for which you should stop using ChatGPT.