Google has introduced a new feature in its search engine called Audio Overviews, designed to offer users spoken summaries of search results. This feature builds on Google’s recent efforts to integrate artificial intelligence into its platform, which aims to offer an alternative way to access information.
Audio Overviews use AI technology from Google’s latest Gemini models to create brief, conversational audio summaries which last between 30 and 45 seconds. These summaries resemble a podcast-style explanation of the search topic. Alongside the audio, the interface displays relevant web pages, allowing users to explore the topic further or verify facts.
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Available via Google Labs
Audio Overviews first appeared in Google’s NotebookLM tool last year. Now, powered by the latest Gemini AI models, this feature is available through Google Labs, an experimental space where users can test upcoming Search capabilities.
Audio Overviews: How to Try the Feature
Users interested in trying Audio Overviews can visit labs.google.com to opt into the experiment. However, Google will not generate audio for every search but will limit the feature to queries where it believes the audio format will add value.
For example, if a user searches for “how do mobile phone’s telephoto camera works,” a “Generate Audio Overview” button will appear after scrolling down the results page. Once clicked, the system takes up to 40 seconds to create the audio clip. The audio player offers basic controls including play/pause, volume adjustment, and a mute toggle. Furthermore, users can also change playback speed from 0.25x to 2x.
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Audio Format and Access Limitations
The audio presentation features two AI voices interacting to explain the search topic, similar to Google’s NotebookLM feature launched last year. The Audio Overviews function works on both mobile devices and desktop computers, but is currently limited to users in the U.S.
Google says this feature aims to offer a hands-free and convenient method to absorb information, especially useful for multitasking or for those who prefer listening over reading.
