Audio Overviews Bring One Of Google’s Most Impressive AI Tools To Gemini
Rushil Agrawal / Android Authority
TL;DR
- Google introduced Audio Overviews with NotebookLM in 2024.
- The tool automatically generates podcast-like recordings of virtual hosts discussing the documents of your choice.
- Now you can generate the same kind of Audio Overviews straight from Gemini.
Of all the neat tricks that modern AI is capable of, one of its most useful, and arguably least controversial, has been its ability to concisely summarize documents: taking one big pile of text, and shrinking it down into a much more manageable parcel. And while that’s cool enough with the written word, last year we saw Google really step up to take things to the next level, introducing NotebookLM, a tool for generating podcast-like audio summaries. For as powerful as it can be, though, not enough people use NotebookLM — which is one of the reasons we’re very excited to learn that Google is now bringing NotebookLM-style Audio Overviews to Gemini itself.
Today Google’s announcing Canvas for Gemini, a new set of tools revolving around documents and your ability to collaboratively edit them with Gemini. So perhaps with documents in the spotlight, it’s only appropriate that we’re also learning about this Audio Overviews expansion.
Audio Overviews in Gemini are going to sound super familiar to anyone who worked with them through NotebookLM, and feature the same sort of podcast-esque format with a pair of virtual hosts. You can get started by uploading documents to Gemini, either through the web interface or using the Android app. Gemini should recognize those for what they are and offer you a chip to click to get started generating your summary.
Considering how much value we already got out of NotebookLM, it’s great to see Google working to find a new, larger audience for Audio Overviews. It’s arriving for both standard Gemini and Gemini Advanced users, beginning today. While Google tells us that this Gemini support will only initially be in English, expansion looks like a top priority, and Google says it shouldn’t be more than another week or so before we see Audio Overviews in Gemini supporting additional languages.
If you still haven’t given NotebookLM a shot, will this newly lowered bar of entry convince you to give Audio Overviews a shot? What are you waiting for?
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