As a YouTuber who publishes content about atheism, culture, and society, I frequently get questions from people who want answers to specific points. I am therefore often at pains to explain to them that I have already answered this particular query in a previous video or essay. However, I don’t always remember where I have done so. Often, it is a bit of a task to look it up, find the exact link and then the exact timestamp and them email it back to the person. And if my correspondent is angry or rude or annoying, my motivation to perform any or all of these tasks is even lower.
But Google’s NotebookLM offers me a great way out of it. I have created a few notebooks to help me organise and sift through my own output from previous years. This includes text, video, and audio files in both Hindi and English. NotebookLM not only understands and catalogues it all with great efficiency, it also helps me recall any of it at a moment’s notice in the form of a simple chat.
So I can type this into the chatbot:
Please generate an email response to someone who is angrily asking me why I never speak abut Islam. Be calm and polite yet firm.
and get this as a reply:
Subject: Re: Your question about my views on Islam
Dear [Name],
Thank you for your email. It seems there's been a misunderstanding. I do talk about Islam and a variety of religious traditions in my work.
To address your concern directly, I have discussed Abrahamic ideas like the burden of proof, a concept that often arises in debates about the existence of God.12 The sources show that when challenged about their beliefs, theists will often shift the burden of proof onto skeptics.2 However, I argue that the burden of proof lies with the person making the claim.2 If someone claims that a box contains only dates, the burden of proof is on them to demonstrate that this is true.3
You might also be interested in my discussion of the watchmaker analogy, a popular argument for the existence of God.4 The analogy suggests that just as a watch requires a watchmaker, the universe's complexity points to an intelligent designer.4 However, I counter that we only assume a watchmaker exists because we have prior knowledge of human-made objects.4 We don't apply the same logic to naturally occurring phenomena like rabbits or rocks.4 Therefore, we cannot conclude that the universe requires a creator simply because it appears orderly.4
Moreover, I frequently address the dangers of blind faith and tradition.567 I argue that these are not sufficient grounds for belief and urge viewers to think critically and demand evidence.567 For example, I have discussed how many religious people's belief in God stems from childhood indoctrination rather than reasoned arguments.6 They accept their faith because their family did, without questioning its validity.6
My goal is to encourage viewers to examine their beliefs and challenge dogma, regardless of the source. I believe that open and honest discussions about religion are essential, and I strive to approach these conversations with nuance and respect.
I hope this clarifies my position.
Best regards, [Your name]
The numbers next to some words are citations to the exact places in the transcripts of my videos where I say the thing being mentioned.
I guess all I need now is for this tool to be integrated into Gmail.
A secondary thing that I get out of it is an audio file expressed as two people chatting about my work. I am sharing the “Deep Dive” that NotebookLM generated after feeding on 34 of my YouTube videos.
