NotebookLM has become one of the more distinctive AI tools available, especially for students and researchers. While it is open to anyone, Google has focused heavily on educational use cases, and a possible new feature could make the platform even more useful for learning.
Unlike a standard Gemini chatbot, NotebookLM is designed to answer questions using only the sources users provide. That approach helps avoid the conflicting or unrelated information often found across the wider internet. If the answer is not in the supplied materials, NotebookLM will not try to invent one.
According to a Threads post from AI-focused tech site Testing Catalog on Wednesday, NotebookLM may soon support textbooks as an additional source type. If the feature arrives, it could give students a more targeted way to use the tool as a study assistant.
Textbooks would join NotebookLM’s existing source options, which include uploaded files, websites, audio clips, Google Play Books and other materials. For students preparing for exams, the ability to add a course textbook directly could make the service significantly more practical.
Testing Catalog shared a screenshot showing textbooks listed as a source option, though details about how the feature would work remain unclear. Because users can already scan or upload book pages as source material, the new option may indicate a deeper integration or partnership.
Last year, Google worked with OpenStax, a provider of free, peer-reviewed textbooks, when it launched Public Notebooks. It remains unclear whether a textbook source would be limited to OpenStax titles or involve another publishing arrangement.
Google did not immediately respond to a request for comment.