Google Tests AI-Powered Audio Overviews in Search Results

Google can now generate a fake AI podcast of your search results

NotebookLM is undoubtedly one of Google's best implementations of generative AI technology, giving you the ability to explore documents and notes with a Gemini AI model. Last year, Google added the ability to generate so-called "audio overviews" of your source material in NotebookLM. Now, Google has brought those fake AI podcasts to search results as a test. Instead of clicking links or reading the AI Overview, you can have two nonexistent people tell you what the results say. This feature is not currently rolling out widely -- it's available in search labs, which means you have to manually enable it. Anyone can opt in to the new Audio Overview search experience, though. If you join the test, you'll quickly see the embedded player in Google search results. However, it's not at the top with the usual block of AI-generated text. Instead, you'll see it after the first few search results, below the "People also ask" knowledge graph section. Google isn't wasting resources to generate the audio automatically, so you have to click the generate button to get started. A few seconds later, you're given a back-and-forth conversation between two AI voices summarizing the search results. The player includes a list of sources from which the overview is built, as well as the option to speed up or slow down playback.

Google tests Audio Overviews for Search queries | TechCrunch

Google Search is experimenting with Audio Overviews for certain Search queries, the company announced on Friday. The feature was first introduced to NotebookLM, Google's AI-based note-taking and research assistant. The tech giant says Audio Overviews will use its latest Gemini models to give users another way to absorb and understand information. "An audio overview can help you get a lay of the land, offering a convenient, hands-free way to absorb information whether you're multitasking or simply prefer an audio experience," Google explained in a blog post. The feature is available starting today in Labs, Google's experimental program. The company says users will see the option to generate a short Audio Overview if Google thinks it would be useful based on their specific query. Once you generate an Audio Overview, you will see a simple audio player with play/pause controls, a volume button, and the option to adjust the playback speed. Google will display links in the audio player to show where it's getting the information from. If you want to learn more about a topic after listening to an Audio Overview, you can click on the links in order to dive deeper into your search. You can give a thumbs up or thumbs down on each Audio Overview, and the experiment as a whole in Labs. In NotebookLM, Audio Overviews give users the ability to generate a podcast with AI virtual hosts based on documents they have shared, such as course readings or legal briefs. Google also brought Audio Overviews to Gemini in March. Audio Overviews in Search builds on AI Overviews, the AI-generated summaries Google supplies for certain Google Search queries. With Audio Overviews, Google is targeting people who are auditory learners or want more accessible ways to get information. It's worth noting that today's announcement comes a few days after a Wall Street Journal report found that Google's AI Overviews and other AI-powered tools are killing traffic for news publishers.

Too Busy to Read? Google's Audio Overviews Summarize Your Search Results Aloud

With more than a decade of experience, Nelson covers Apple and Google and writes about iPhone and Android features, privacy and security settings, and more. The next time you wonder why school buses are yellow, you might not have to read a single word to get the answer. Google's latest experimental feature can literally tell you the answer, in a tiny audio clip that loads right inside your results page. Launched Friday in Search Labs, Audio Overviews uses Google's latest Gemini AI models to turn certain queries into 30- to 45-second, podcast-style explainers, complete with on-screen source links for fact-checking. The move pushes Google's AI Overviews beyond text, positioning Search for a semi-hands-free, voice-first future, while also raising more questions about what this means for publishers who rely on clicks. You can try out Google's Audio Overviews right now if you're interested. Go to the Google Labs website, opt in to the Search Labs program if you're not already signed up and then toggle on Audio Overviews. The next time you run a query, like "How do I stop apps from tracking my exact location on my iPhone," Google might show you a button that says Generate Audio Overview, which you'll have to scroll down a little to see. You can then tap on the Audio Overview to process the clip, and then press play. You can speed up the audio, mute the clip and rate it with a thumbs-up or thumbs-down, to better train it. Below the player, Google lists the web pages it drew from, so you can click through to fact-check the information or just dig deeper. For those who might have visual impairments, this new feature offers a glimpse at what a voice-first Google might look like. But until Google expands language support and proves the summaries are dependable, consider this a nifty experiment for now, not a substitute for reading the full story.

Just Press Play: Google Is Turning Some Search Results Into AI Podcasts

Google pitches Audio Overviews as a 'convenient...way to absorb information,' but it's also another way to kill traffic to the sources of information Google uses to generate these AI podcasts. Google is testing a new way to deliver AI-generated search results by turning them into "quick, conversational audio overviews for certain search queries." Basically, AI podcasts. The test seems to merge Google's AI-powered search summaries, also known as AI Overviews, with the company's NotebookLM, an online tool that can create audio podcasts featuring two AI hosts who dissect uploaded documents. The test is part of Google Labs, where the search giant tests new AI projects. The company created the experiment for users who might be busy multi-tasking or who prefer to receive search results in an audio format. Interested users can access the feature by opting into the test. "When our systems determine it might be useful, you'll see the option on the search results page to tap to generate a short audio overview on the topic of your query. You can give a thumbs up/down on each discussion, and the experiment as a whole in Labs," the company explained. The feature, called "Search Labs | Audio Overview," takes up to 40 seconds to work since it requires Google's Gemini model to research the search query by analyzing various third-party websites. Once done, it will generate a transcript; press play to hear it read out loud by two AI-generated hosts. The player will feature volume and playback speed adjusters. Google says the generated clip will cite its sources. Time will tell if the feature takes off. But the company has been integrating more AI into its traditional search business, saying it's seen an over 10% increase "in usage of Google for the types of queries that show AI Overviews." Still, the AI integration arrives amid growing concern that Google is elevating its own AI-powered search results over linking to third-party websites, taking traffic away from the very sources of information it relies on to generate those answers. Users have also spotted Google's AI search summaries spreading incorrect information.

Google is adding NotebookLM-style Audio Overviews to Search, and you can try them now

Summary NotebookLM's Audio Overviews feature, which turns sources into natural-sounding AI-generated podcasts, has been a standout feature since its launch and is finally expanding beyond NotebookLM. Google is testing Audio Overviews in Search through a Google Labs experiment, using the latest Gemini models to generate conversational summaries for select queries. You can opt into the experience today via Google Labs. Google has a wildly underrated research assistant called NotebookLM. Ironically, it didn't exactly take off because of its research capabilities. Instead, the tool went viral due to its Audio Overviews feature, which lets you turn sources into AI-generated podcasts. The podcasts that NotebookLM generates are engaging and, surprisingly, don't have the robotic voice most AI tools default to. The two hosts sound natural and almost like you're listening to two humans discussing a document you sent their way. Though these Audio Overviews have been powered by Gemini since Google added them to NotebookLM in September 2024, the feature was initially restricted to NotebookLM. In March 2025, Google finally made Audio Overviews available directly in Gemini's interface. Now, the feature is coming to Google Search too. Related Using NotebookLM's Audio Overviews in Gemini with Deep Research might be the smartest AI combo I've tried yet Audio Overviews shine brightest when paired with Gemini's Deep Research Posts 2 Google is testing Audio Overviews directly in Search As announced in a post on Google's The Keyword blog, Google is launching Audio Overviews in Search as a Google Labs experiment. The blog post explains that Search Audio Overviews will use the latest Gemini models to generate quick and conversational audio summaries for certain search queries. Based on the image that Google shared, it seems like the experiment will display a short Audio Overview on the search results page, right below the People also ask section. Google Though it isn't widely available yet, anyone can try it out by opting into the experiment in Labs. You can do so by heading to this Google Labs webpage and hitting the Turn On button. Then, toggle on the switch next to Turn this experiment on or off and hit the Start searching button. Doing so will essentially turn on all the AI Overviews experiments Google Labs is currently testing, including increased AI Overviews in Google Search. Google mentions that features from these experiments may appear on the search results page in the Google app, a few mobile browsers, and on Chrome desktops. Audio Overviews will only appear on search results pages where Google's systems determine they'll be helpful. Since Audio Overviews in Gemini are typically much shorter than the ones you can generate in NotebookLM, I believe it'll be a similar case in Search. I'm also curious to see if they'll be as well-liked as NotebookLM's. I assume these will be generated once a user clicks a certain trigger or prompt, which makes me wonder if a user would willingly wait around for an audio summary to load, especially when it'd take them less time to just skim text.

Google Search uses AI-generated podcast hosts to answer your questions

The experimental feature creates a customized podcast-like clip in response to your search query. Instead of digging through all the top search results, you can now ask Google Search to give you a comprehensive AI-generated summary with its Audio Overviews feature. The AI feature uses Google Gemini models to create a short audio clip that sounds like a conversational podcast with two hosts. It's not ideal for your basic search queries like finding out when Father's Day is, but it's helpful if you want an in-depth and hands-free response to the history and significance of Flag Day. The Audio Overviews option pulls from the front page Google Search results and compiles them into an audio summary where two voices bounce off each other for a more engaging answer. You can also adjust the volume and playback speed between 0.25x and 2x. Audio Overviews even includes the webpages it pulls the info from, letting you continue down the Google Search rabbit hole. It's not the first time Google has offered its Audio Overviews tool, but it was previously reserved for its NotebookLM tool. Google expanded on this feature by making Audio Overviews within NotebookLM more interactive, allowing you to ask the AI hosts questions in real-time, and added a "Deep Dive" option to get the AI to focus on a specific topic. To test out the Audio Overviews as part of Google Search, you have to opt into the Google Labs feature on its website.

Google's latest experiment brings NotebookLM's best features to Search

For this initial test, access is limited to the US and only supports English. Forgive us for sounding like a broken record by this point, but Google's Audio Overviews have easily emerged as one of the company's most genuinely impressive and useful AI tools. First debuting as part of the NotebookLM research assistant, Audio Overviews make text summaries a whole lot more accessible by crunching them down into what's essentially a mini podcast, with a pair of virtual hosts chatting back and forth. We've seen Google expand access and bring Audio Overviews to more of its services since then, like Gemini this past spring, and now it's coming to the granddaddy of them all: Search itself.

Google just fused NotebookLM's coolest trick right into Search

NotebookLM might be one of Google's smartest tools you've barely used. It first made waves -- not for its research chops -- but for its Audio Overviews feature. Instead of dumping information at you, it turns your source material into podcast-style recaps that actually sound like real people talking, not robots reading a script. After popping up in the Gemini app and Discover's Daily Listen, Google is now testing these AI-driven audio recaps right on the front page of mobile Search. Related NotebookLM's latest update speeds up replies by up to 40%, and it's all thanks to one minor change Sometimes the smallest fixes matter most Posts In a blog post, Google shared that Audio Overviews will tap into its latest Gemini models to offer a fresh, hands-free way to take in information. Right now, it's a US-only Search Labs experiment and only works in English (via 9to5Google). Once it's turned on, you'll see a "Generate Audio Overview" button pop up during searches. Hit it, and you'll get a clean little audio player with play/pause controls, volume, and speed options. Google says the option to generate an Audio Overview won't always show up, as it depends on whether it thinks your search actually needs one. But here's the odd part: the button is kind of buried. It shows up way down the results page, tucked below the AI Overview, ads, a pile of regular links (plenty from Reddit), and even the full "People also ask" block. So, don't expect it front and center. Close As per the blog post, whipping up an Audio Overview can take up to 40 seconds while it pulls information, builds the voice, and pieces everything together. If your search is super niche or a bit complex, expect it to take even longer. Google's quiet pivot to a voice-first Search future? Just like in NotebookLM and Gemini, this version brings in a duo of AI-generated "hosts" who break down your topic in a lively, back-and-forth style. And for those who like to double-check the details, Google adds extra transparency by dropping direct links to some of the sources used, right under the audio player. With this experiment, Google is nudging Search into a more voice-first, semi-hands-free future. More importantly, it's a big win for users with visual impairments. For now, though, think of this as a cool side feature -- not a shortcut to skip the full story. Until Google nails the accuracy, it's more of a teaser than a trusted takeaway.

Google turns internet queries into conversations

Google on Friday began letting people turn online searches into conversations, with generative artificial intelligence providing spoken summaries of query results. With Audio Overviews, Gemini AI models quickly sum up query results in conversational style, according to Google. "An audio overview can help you get a lay of the land, offering a convenient, hands-free way to absorb information whether you're multitasking or simply prefer an audio experience," Google said in a blog post. "We display helpful web pages right within the audio player on the search results page so you can easily dive in and learn more." Google is beefing up online search with generative artificial intelligence, embracing AI despite fears for its ad-based business model. CEO Sundar Pichai recently unveiled a new AI mode in Google search. The search engine's nascent AI mode goes further than AI Overviews which display answers to queries from the tech giant's generative AI powers above the traditional blue links to websites and ads. Since Google debuted AI Overviews in search slightly more than a year ago, it has grown to more than 1.5 billion users across several countries, according to Pichai. Google's push into generative AI comes amid intensifying competition with OpenAI's ChatGPT, which has itself incorporated search engine features into its popular chatbot.

Google turns internet queries into conversations

San Francisco (United States) (AFP) - Google on Friday began letting people turn online searches into conversations, with generative artificial intelligence providing spoken summaries of query results. With Audio Overviews, Gemini AI models quickly sum up query results in conversational style, according to Google. "An audio overview can help you get a lay of the land, offering a convenient, hands-free way to absorb information whether you're multitasking or simply prefer an audio experience," Google said in a blog post. "We display helpful web pages right within the audio player on the search results page so you can easily dive in and learn more." Google is beefing up online search with generative artificial intelligence, embracing AI despite fears for its ad-based business model. CEO Sundar Pichai recently unveiled a new AI mode in Google search. The search engine's nascent AI mode goes further than AI Overviews which display answers to queries from the tech giant's generative AI powers above the traditional blue links to websites and ads. Since Google debuted AI Overviews in search slightly more than a year ago, it has grown to more than 1.5 billion users across several countries, according to Pichai. Google's push into generative AI comes amid intensifying competition with OpenAI's ChatGPT, which has itself incorporated search engine features into its popular chatbot.

Google turns internet queries into conversations

Google on Friday began letting people turn online searches into conversations, with generative artificial intelligence providing spoken summaries of query results. Google is beefing up online search with generative artificial intelligence, embracing AI despite fears for its ad-based business model.Google on Friday began letting people turn online searches into conversations, with generative artificial intelligence providing spoken summaries of query results. With Audio Overviews, Gemini AI models quickly sum up query results in conversational style, according to Google. "An audio overview can help you get a lay of the land, offering a convenient, hands-free way to absorb information whether you're multitasking or simply prefer an audio experience," Google said in a blog post. "We display helpful web pages right within the audio player on the search results page so you can easily dive in and learn more." Google is beefing up online search with generative artificial intelligence, embracing AI despite fears for its ad-based business model. CEO Sundar Pichai recently unveiled a new AI mode in Google search. The search engine's nascent AI mode goes further than AI Overviews which display answers to queries from the tech giant's generative AI powers above the traditional blue links to websites and ads. Since Google debuted AI Overviews in search slightly more than a year ago, it has grown to more than 1.5 billion users across several countries, according to Pichai. Google's push into generative AI comes amid intensifying competition with OpenAI's ChatGPT, which has itself incorporated search engine features into its popular chatbot.

Google turns internet queries into conversations - VnExpress International

With Audio Overviews, Gemini AI models quickly sum up query results in conversational style, according to Google. "An audio overview can help you get a lay of the land, offering a convenient, hands-free way to absorb information whether you're multitasking or simply prefer an audio experience," Google said in a blog post. "We display helpful web pages right within the audio player on the search results page so you can easily dive in and learn more." Google is beefing up online search with generative artificial intelligence, embracing AI despite fears for its ad-based business model. CEO Sundar Pichai recently unveiled a new AI mode in Google search. The search engine's nascent AI mode goes further than AI Overviews which display answers to queries from the tech giant's generative AI powers above the traditional blue links to websites and ads. Since Google debuted AI Overviews in search slightly more than a year ago, it has grown to more than 1.5 billion users across several countries, according to Pichai. Google's push into generative AI comes amid intensifying competition with OpenAI's ChatGPT, which has itself incorporated search engine features into its popular chatbot.