Saad Ullah
⬤ Google's NotebookLM rolled out a major update, expanding the character limit for custom chat instructions from 500 to 10,000 characters. This change lets users build significantly more sophisticated personas and workflows without hitting the old restrictions. The update was called out as a "small but mighty" improvement that removes previous complexity barriers.
⬤ The expanded 10,000-character limit opens up possibilities for richer role definitions, detailed behavioral rules, and multi-step analytical logic. Example prompts include an advanced Product Manager persona that extracts actionable insights from documents, a Middle School Teacher persona that simplifies dense material, and a Scientific Researcher persona focused on methodology and data accuracy. These examples show how the new space enables customization that was simply impossible under the 500-character constraint.
⬤ The update reflects a broader shift in AI productivity tools, where customization depth has become crucial. With the larger instruction window, users can now craft highly specific task frameworks, specify structured response formats, and maintain consistent analytical tone across longer workflows. The ability to encode detailed operational rules directly into the assistant makes NotebookLM more competitive for education, research, and product development use cases.
⬤ This expansion matters for the competitive landscape. Platforms offering more granular control typically see stronger adoption among power users and teams who need precise AI behavior. Deeper customization enhances clarity, reduces output ambiguity, and supports more reliable automation. As organizations integrate AI tools into their processes, the ability to design detailed personas could become a key differentiator between platforms.
Saad Ullah
