Peter Smith
Google is pushing the boundaries of AI-powered productivity with its latest NotebookLM update. A recent discovery by TestingCatalog News reveals that the platform is experimenting with a "Custom Styles" option for Video Overviews, letting users shape video aesthetics through simple text prompts. This development suggests AI-driven video customization is about to become mainstream in Google's productivity suite.
Personalized AI-Generated Video Takes Shape
According to TestingCatalog, the testing phase shows a new customization interface in NotebookLM's Video Overview panel. Users can pick from preset styles like Classic, Whiteboard, Kawaii, and Anime, or go with a "Custom" option that accepts free-form text input.
The "Describe a custom visual style" field lets you type creative prompts such as "Try a story-like quality: an animated children's storybook," similar to how platforms like Midjourney interpret text for visual generation. There's also a second field asking "What should the AI hosts focus on?" which gives users control over both the narrative direction and visual presentation of their videos.
From Simple Summaries to Full-Scale Storytelling
NotebookLM started as a document summarization tool but has evolved into something much bigger. After introducing Audio Overviews that convert documents into podcast-style summaries, Google is now moving into video territory. The Custom Styles feature transforms NotebookLM from a basic summarizer into a creative storytelling platform. This opens up practical uses across different fields: educators can convert lecture notes into animated lessons, teams can turn research into branded video updates, and students can visualize complex subjects through engaging story-driven content.
The Nano Banana 2 Factor
The testing hints that these features might run on "Nano Banana 2," Google's rumored lightweight AI video model. This system is expected to handle multimodal tasks efficiently, combining animation, motion, and speech synthesis in real-time. If this integration happens, it would mark a strategic shift for Google—bringing professional-grade video generation directly into everyday productivity tools instead of keeping it locked in experimental labs. Nano Banana 2 could enable faster local rendering, making NotebookLM a genuine creative workspace for AI content.
Competing in the AI Video Space
The Custom Styles rollout reflects Google's push toward personalized, user-controlled AI experiences. Instead of offering cookie-cutter templates, the platform now lets people co-create content that matches their brand, tone, and visual identity. This puts Google in direct competition with specialized AI video platforms like Pika Labs, RunwayML, and Synthesia. However, NotebookLM's tight integration with Google Docs, Drive, and Gmail could give it a significant edge in real-world workflows, turning AI video creation into a natural extension of daily tasks.
Peter Smith
