Google’s NotebookLM expands AI podcast feature to include Afrikaans

As people across Africa turn to AI tools to support how they study, teach, and learn, Google’s AI-based note-taking and research assistant NotebookLM is making its Audio Overviews feature available in 76 new languages.

Google has announced the expansion of its NotebookLM audio overview feature which transforms documents into podcast-style conversations, to include Afrikaans and Swahili.

AI tools

This development will further drive the use of AI tools within local communities in South Africa and Kenya, providing an inclusive environment for technology use among users of all ages.

NotebookLM is an AI-powered learning assistant that helps users better understand complex information by grounding responses in their own materials — whether that’s lecture notes, PDFs, research reports, or web content.

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Interaction

Once documents are uploaded, users can ask questions, generate summaries, and now, listen to Audio Overviews — a dynamic voice feature that explains key ideas aloud like a podcast.

Enhanced by the April rollout of Gemini 2.5 Flash in NotebookLM, the feature is now faster, smarter, and more natural-sounding — even allowing users to ask follow-up questions to the podcast hosts for deeper understanding.

Making a difference

Nanjala Misiko, Head of B2C Marketing at Google Africa, said the update can make a real difference.

 “Whether it’s a student revising notes in Swahili or a teacher preparing summaries in Afrikaans, we’re excited to help more people access and understand information in a way that truly works for them.”

Output language

People can now also set an “Output Language” in NotebookLM settings, making it easy to switch between languages and receive audio and text responses accordingly.

For example, a student in Dar es Salaam could upload English biology notes, but choose to hear the overview in Swahili. Similarly, a teacher in Cape Town preparing materials for diverse classrooms can offer summaries in both English and Afrikaans.

Google said this language expansion builds on NotebookLM’s momentum.

In 2023, it became available in more than 200 countries and in April 2025, the introduction of Gemini 2.5 Flash made the tool even more responsive and insightful.

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