New Google feature offers podcast-style answers to search queries
Right now, Audio Overviews in Search is only available in English in the US. PHOTO: THE VERGE
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Google is rolling out a test that puts its AI-powered Audio Overviews on the first page of search results on mobile. The experiment, which you can enable in Labs, will let you generate an AI podcast-style discussion for certain queries.
If you search for something like, 'How do noise cancellation headphones work?', Google will display a button beneath the 'People also ask' module that says, 'Generate Audio Overview.' Once you click the button, it will take up to 40 seconds to generate an Audio Overview, according to Google.
The completed Audio Overview will appear in a small player embedded within your search results, where you can play, pause, mute, and adjust the playback speed of the clip. Similar to Audio Overviews on NotebookLM and Gemini, this one also features two AI-generated 'hosts' who enthusiastically discuss the topic you want to learn more about. You'll also find links to some of the sources used by Audio Overview directly below the playback bar in Search.
Right now, Audio Overviews in Search is only available in English in the US. Google has started putting Audio Overviews in more places since the tool launched last year, allowing users to generate audio discussions based on notes, Gemini's deep research, files in Google Docs, and more.
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