In the fast-changing world of AI tools, two names, among others, stand out for users working on research, writing, and learning tasks: ChatGPT (now powered by GPT-5) and Google’s NotebookLM. Each offers unique strengths, trade-offs, and best use cases. Knowing their differences can help you choose the right tool and use them together effectively.
Recently, I began combining these platforms. I often use ChatGPT-5 for research and to pressure test my thinking. I employ NotebookLM to conduct analyses of multiple sources and leverage its audio overview capability to create podcasts or Deep Dives based on my latest CEOWORLD magazine articles. These podcasts serve as an additional resource for the reader to engage and connect with the content. It also inspired me to name the male and female Deep Dive podcast hosts DwAIne & JAIne. ChatGPT-5 generated the caricatures.
I asked ChatGPT-5 to provide an overview of the platforms and used NotebookLM to create a special Peernovation Deep Dive Episode to unpack the content. You’ll find DwAIne & JAIne’s insights here!
ChatGPT / GPT‑5
ChatGPT is OpenAI’s conversational AI platform, now upgraded to GPT‑5. GPT‑5 is a multimodal model that can dynamically route between “fast” and “thinking” processing modes depending on the complexity of the task. It retains the broad capabilities of previous GPT versions—creative writing, coding help, language translation, Q&A, brainstorming, and more—while aiming to reduce hallucinations, improve reasoning, and respond better across modalities.
Because ChatGPT draws on a large internal model and external tools (internet browser, plug‑ins, etc.), it does not always know exactly which source it used for a given answer (unless you add the link or evidence). Its strength lies in being a generalist assistant that can jump between tasks seamlessly.
NotebookLM
NotebookLM is Google’s AI “notebook” and research assistant built on the Gemini stack. Unlike a freeform chat, NotebookLM is structured around your content. You upload documents, web pages, slides, YouTube transcripts, PDFs, etc., and NotebookLM becomes “an expert on your sources.” It summarizes, cross‑references, answers questions with inline citations, and generates audio overviews (a two‑host “conversation” summarizing your sources) to be listened to like a podcast. Because NotebookLM limits its answers to what’s grounded in the materials you provide, its output is more traceable and less prone to “inventing” ungrounded content.
NotebookLM also supports the sharing of notebooks (so collaborators can interact with the same content) and public sharing of notebooks via links.
Key Differences
According to ChatGPT-5 (NotebookLM’s DwAIne & JAIne offer their take in the Peernovation Deep Dive)
Here are the major contrasts between ChatGPT‑5 and NotebookLM
| Feature | ChatGPT‑5 | NotebookLM |
|---|---|---|
| Generalization & breadth | Strong. You can ask almost any question (not limited to your docs) and switch topics freely. | More narrow: best when grounded in your uploaded sources. Asking off‑topic questions may lead to weaker responses. |
| Source citation & grounding | It may cite or show sources if prompted, but often generates from its model memory. The “provenance” of an answer can be opaque. | Always links answers to your source documents, making tracing easier and reducing hallucination risks. |
| Note organization & structure | It doesn’t maintain a persistent notebook environment. You can simulate it via prompts, but you manage context manually. | Has built‑in notebooks, pinning excerpts, organizing excerpts, linking between sources—serves as a “knowledge base + AI” tool. |
| Audio / multimodal summaries | Can generate summaries, transform content; with GPT‑5’s multimodal abilities, it can take images, etc. | Offers “Audio Overview” feature that turns your uploaded documents into audio conversations, letting you listen to your content rather than reading it. |
| Collaboration / sharing | You can share prompt transcripts or chat logs, but there’s no native “shared project notebook” (unless you build it around another system). | You can share notebooks via links; others can view or interact with the content in a controlled way. |
| One‑off Q&A vs sustained research | Very flexible for one-off questions, brainstorming, document drafting, etc. | Optimized for deep dives, research workflows, study sessions, document comprehension. |
| Risk of hallucination | More exposed to hallucinations, especially when the model “fills gaps” beyond known information. | Lower risk (for content within your sources), since everything needs to be grounded in what you provided. |
| Ease of use / barrier to entry | Very easy: you type a query and go. No need to upload or prep. | Requires uploading your materials, structuring a notebook. Higher upfront organization cost. |
Which is best, depending on the task?
- Brainstorming, creative writing, ideation
Winner: ChatGPT‑5
When you need to generate ideas, marketing copy, story drafts, emails, slogans, or pivot between topics on the fly, ChatGPT shines. - Technical tasks: coding, debugging, math
Winner: ChatGPT‑5
GPT‑5’s stronger reasoning and tool integration underlies better performance in code generation, debugging, data manipulation, and math. - In‑depth research, studying, and summarization
Winner: NotebookLM
When you have a stack of papers, reports, or longer materials, NotebookLM’s structured approach gives it an edge. - Academic or professional writing with citations
Winner: NotebookLM (for drafting + fact checking); ChatGPT‑5 (for style polishing)
Use NotebookLM for grounded drafts, then ChatGPT for flow and style. - Collaborative projects or shared knowledge hubs
Winner: NotebookLM
Its notebook-sharing feature makes it superior for teams working from common research bases. - Quick Q&A or casual use
Winner: ChatGPT‑5
For quick questions or daily tasks, ChatGPT’s speed and breadth make it unbeatable.
Hybrid approach: marry the two
In practice, many users will find the best results by combining both tools:
1. Ingest & research: Upload your research materials to NotebookLM.
2. Draft & polish: Use NotebookLM outputs as inputs to ChatGPT.
3. Iterate with grounding: Cross‑check ChatGPT claims in NotebookLM.
4. Switch when needed: Use ChatGPT for coding, creative tasks, etc.
There is no absolute “better” tool. It depends on the task. Recently, I used NotebookLM to conduct an analysis of several lengthy studies on psychological health and safety from the US and Canada (which I discovered using ChatGPT-5) to find out how Peernovation practices, designed originally for building higher-performing and more productive groups and teams, may also improve employee well-being. The analysis, generated in a matter of seconds, not only saved me a week but was also thorough, thoughtful, and objective, resulting in a two-part CEOWORLD article. You’ll find both parts and their corresponding Deep Dives here: https://www.peernovation.biz/excerpts
In short:
– Use ChatGPT‑5 for flexibility, creativity, technical work, and quick Q&A.
– Use NotebookLM for research, study, citation accuracy, and collaboration.
– Often, the best strategy is a hybrid workflow: NotebookLM for grounded knowledge, ChatGPT‑5 for polish and creativity. Enjoy!
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