Forget NotebookLM — ElevenLabs launches new podcast creation tool

ElevenLabs logo on phone sitting on top of keyboard
(Image credit: Shutterstock)

One of the big boons of continued AI development is convenience, and ElevenLabs has a doozy of a new feature for anyone pressed for time.

The ElevenLabs Reader app just got a fresh update that can convert PDFs, books, and even lengthy emails into a conversational podcast format. This is similar to Google's NotebookLM but with more control over the source material.

It won't be for everyone, and the example below is a little hokey for my tastes (do we really need a podcast analysis of fairytales?) but this could be a great way to clear your reading backlog.

Now is a good time to try it as well as you can get one month for just $1 or two months free if you take out the annual subscription in the ElevenLabs Black Friday sale. This lets you go beyond just having the Reader app. With a subscription, you could clone your own voice or make a radio show with sound effects — all from a simple text prompt.

Create your own audiobooks with ElevenLabs

According to the latest ElevenLabs post, you can pull in content from just about anywhere to "generate a podcast that's uniquely for you".

That's done by offering two AI 'co-hosts' that are built from the company's AI audio models across 32 languages.

At present, the feature is only available on iOS, but ElevenLabs is planning Android support "in the coming weeks".

The idea of blowing through a lengthy contract like it's a digestible discussion is definitely one that appeals to me in my line of work, but dropping news pages into it to catch up while you're out for a walk also sounds that a great idea.

You could create your own weekly podcast based on a selection of news stories. Go from a chat about a new SpaceX launch to the latest political news in seconds.

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Lloyd Coombes
Contributing writer

Lloyd Coombes is a freelance tech and fitness writer. He's an expert in all things Apple as well as in computer and gaming tech, with previous works published on TechRadar, Tom's Guide, Live Science and more. You'll find him regularly testing the latest MacBook or iPhone, but he spends most of his time writing about video games as Gaming Editor for the Daily Star. He also covers board games and virtual reality, just to round out the nerdy pursuits.

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