Comparison between Microsoft Copilot Podcasts and Google NotebookLM reveals key differences

Microsoft has celebrated its 50th anniversary with a special event where it revealed several new features for its Copilot chatbot. One of the most notable was the Copilot Podcasts feature, which promised to take the podcast experience to a new level. After trying Google’s NotebookLM, which had already impressed me with its ability to generate podcasts, I couldn’t resist the temptation to test what Microsoft offers.

The good news is that Copilot Podcasts is available to all users right now. You just need to open the Copilot app on Windows, macOS, Android, or iOS and type the prompt “create a podcast on…”. In less than a minute, you will have a four-minute podcast ready to listen to. However, this does not apply to all the features announced at the event, as some are still in development.

Copilot Podcasts Put to the Test

I decided to test the generator by asking for a podcast on an AI topic. My previous experience covering AI topics seemed like a good starting point. Unlike NotebookLM, which offers a more conversational and engaging sound, Copilot Podcasts feels more like a text-to-speech conversion.

The voice of Copilot is robotic and synthesized, lacking natural pauses and those little expressions that make a podcast feel human. The interactions between the two AI hosts are quite monotonous, giving the impression of a daily report rather than a lively conversation. Although there are some changes in intonation and emphasis, the depth of the conversation is limited, only touching on the topic superficially and leaving the informational density at a rather low level.

On the other hand, the NotebookLM podcast, which lasts 20 minutes, does a much better job. I used its new Discover Sources feature to create a knowledge base on the same topic and generate the podcast. Unlike Copilot, the result was a more natural sound, filled with dynamic interactions between the hosts. Additionally, NotebookLM allows you to adjust the playback speed and download the audio, which adds significant value to the user experience.

From my experience testing them, Copilot Podcasts feels like a product that still needs a lot of development. The lack of realism in the voice intonation and the absence of fluid conversations make the experience less appealing. Microsoft has a long way to go if it wants to compete with the quality that Google offers in this area.