NotebookLM gets Gemini 2.5 Flash as it prepares to launch as a standalone app

What you need to know

• NotebookLM is now powered by the Gemini 2.5 Flash model, a thinking model that can handle multi-step reasoning.
• Earlier this week, NotebookLM's popular Audio Overviews feature received expanded support for over 50 languages.
• The software tool will get a standalone app at Google I/O 2025, and you can pre-register for it now.

NotebookLM's chatbot and research functions are now powered by Gemini 2.5 Flash, a thinking model with advanced reasoning techniques, Google announced today, May 2 in a post on X (formerly Twitter). The company says the Gemini 2.5 Flash upgrade will only impact NotebookLM's chatbot and Q&A modes, leaving Audio Overviews unchanged.

"It's been a busy week for us. SO busy that we forgot to mention that @NotebookLM is officially powered by Gemini 2.5 Flash," the official NotebookLM account posted on X (formerly Twitter). "The 2.5 models are thinking models, so you should start to see more comprehensive answers, particularly to complex, multi-step reasoning questions."

The move comes after Google announced that NotebookLM's Audio Overviews are now available in over 50 languages earlier this week in a blog post. The change also added an Output Language setting for Audio Overviews that can be separate from your default language, which can be helpful for bilingual and multilingual research and studying.

In a separate move, Google has big plans for NotebookLM at Google I/O 2025, which is set to take place later this month in Mountain View, California. NotebookLM will launch as a standalone app, and you can pre-register for it on the App Store and Google Play Store.

"Turn complexity into clarity with NotebookLM, your brain’s new best friend," the app's description reads. "Join the millions of students, creators, researchers, professionals, CEOs, and more who are saving time, getting stuff done, and learning in new ways."

The NotebookLM app will officially debut at Google I/O 2025, the company's annual developer conference. The timing is significant for NotebookLM, as the popular research tool was first revealed as Project Tailwind at Google I/O two years prior.

For now, you can use NotebookLM to learn and study while using one of Google's newest AI models in Gemini 2.5 Flash.