Perhaps you won’t need to read a word to understand why school buses are yellow the next time. In a brief audio clip that plays directly into your results page, Google’s most recent experimental feature can actually give you the answer.
Audio Overviews, which was introduced in Search Labs on Friday, converts specific searches into 30- to 45-second explainers in the form of podcasts, replete with on-screen source links for fact-checking, using Google’s most recent Gemini AI models.
The change positions Search for a voice-first, semi-hands-free future and expands Google’s AI Overviews beyond text, but it also raises fresh concerns about the implications for click-dependent publishers.
How to use Audio Overviews at the moment
You may now test out Google’s Audio Overviews if you’re interested. Visit the Google Labs website, turn on Audio Overviews, and if you haven’t previously, opt in to the Search Labs program.
Overview of Audio at Google Labs
You are able to hit To test the functionality, try an example.
The next time you type in a search query, such as “How do I stop apps from tracking my exact location on my iPhone,” Google may provide a button labeled “Generate Audio Overview,” which you will need to slightly scroll down to see.
After processing the footage by tapping on the Audio Overview, you may hit play. To better train it, you may mute the footage, speed up the audio, and give it a thumbs-up or thumbs-down rating.
Audio Synopses
For present, Audio Overviews are only accessible in the United States.
Google provides a list of the websites it used as inspiration underneath the player, so you may go through to verify the accuracy of the content or just learn more.
This new tool provides a preview of what a voice-first Google would look like for those who are blind or visually impaired. For the time being, however, think of this as a clever experiment rather than a replacement for reading the whole text until Google broadens its language support and demonstrates that the summaries are reliable.