- NotebookLM has integrated Nano Banana Pro into its new infographic and slide deck tools
- The AI image maker turns research into polished graphics with captions
- The workflow lets you design complex, publication-ready graphics without ever leaving your notebook
Google’s NotebookLM has added a couple of new options for reimagining research, infographics, and slide decks. The platform is turning to the new Nano Banana Pro image-making AI model to produce both infographics and slide decks, a big moment for multimodal AI tools. and a surprisingly elegant merger of research and design.
Nano Banana Pro is built to synthesize accurate, grounded information into visual formats, correctly render text inside the images, and be consistent across styles and formats. Having seen the power of Nano Banana Pro, I decided to put the infographics and slide deck creation to the test using a topic with plenty of available information, King Arthur and the legends that grew around him. I wanted to see how well NotebookLM performed in turning ancient British myth into modern visual storytelling.
Infographics
I started with a couple of infographic suggestions. First, I asked to see a comparison between the earliest King Arthur stories and the more complete myth created later. Then I asked to see a timeline of how the characters of King Arthur and Merlin have evolved.
Nano Banana Pro and NotebookLM did a great job drawing a direct visual and thematic line between the earliest known versions of the Arthur myth (circa 800–950 CE) and the more elaborate medieval romances (1136–1485 CE). The infographic shows the gritty, warlike, and primal myth becoming lush, courtly, and full of additional iconic elements. The text was mostly legible, but had a few problems that would require some iteration to fix.
For this second infographic, I wanted a journey through historical eras, showing how Arthur and Merlin’s appearances and roles have evolved across time. You can see the pair of them repeated across the eras, looking very different each time and getting a new title and description each time. The transitions across time are not just visual; they’re thematic. Each pair reflects the politics, morality, and aesthetics of the era. The fact that Nano Banana Pro could maintain character coherence while shifting between medievalism and cyberpunk is, frankly, remarkable.
Slide decks
For the slide deck, I asked the AI to depict the Arthurian myth cycle at different historical stages, from its original form through the 21st century. After a few minutes, NotebookLM unveiled Arthur the Endless Reflection. I’ve included a few sample images above, but they’re just a few of the 15 slides created by NotebookLM and Nano Banana Pro.
Though imperfect, the output gave the impression of a full multimedia lecture series that just needed a little proofreading and tweaking. The richly illustrated, thematically coherent visual essay used imagery, historical framing, and myth analysis with surprising sophistication.
The opening slide sets the tone instantly: a collage of Arthurian faces from medieval manuscript king through anime knight, grimdark warlord, and shining sci-fi paladin are arranged around the blunt declaration “THERE IS NO KING ARTHUR.” It’s a mission statement baked into design, and it announces the deck’s thesis with more confidence than most human-made opening slides.
What stood out most was how Nano Banana Pro moved easily between styles in the service of meaning. A medieval-style frieze shows Arthur rise, rule, and fall in tidy narrative beats. Then Chrétien de Troyes’ transformation of Arthur’s court into a romance engine is shown as an ornate triptych before eventually showing a full comic-book spectacle, using bright sci-fi colors and crisp panels to examine Arthur as a superhero.
More than anything, what this deck demonstrates is how Nano Banana Pro in NotebookLM changes the way research feels. Instead of a text-heavy outline or a rough brainstorming board, the deck becomes a polished argument ready for presenting with just a little bit of extra work.
Adding the right banana…er…AI ingredient
NotebookLM has always felt like the most promising of Google’s Gemini-powered experiments. But until recently, it was all about synthesis and citation, a glorified research assistant. Nano Banana Pro makes it a potent visual storytelling partner.
The infographics and slide deck are visually compelling and structured in a way that made a lot of sense, if not quite without flaws. There’s space for human refinement. But it’s a very enticing set of tools for those who lack an eye or talent for design.
Being able to put together important information and then ask for visualizations relieves a lot of pressure. It’s the difference between writing notes for a presentation and leaving the room with the presentation already done. It’s a magic that Merlin (at least in some forms) could appreciate too.
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