Google has introduced a new artificial intelligence feature for Google Docs, expanding its AI-powered capabilities for users.
Powered by Gemini, the tool, called Audio Summaries, allows users to listen to concise audio summaries of their documents, offering a more accessible and convenient way to review content.
The release is part of Google Workspace updates, although it is also available to select individual accounts. The Mountain View-based tech giant is releasing the capability only to paid subscribers at this time. Unlike normal text-to-speech features, Audio Summaries’ narration occurs in a human-like natural language.
The tech giant announced that it has already integrated Gemini features across all Workspace apps, but it continues to add new capabilities and tools to help save time.
According to the statement, the core offering of Audio Summaries is that it cannot only create a short synopsis of a long document or report, but it also turns it into a human-like audio that users can listen to while they do something else on the side.
Image credits: Google | Cropped by GBN
The feature appears to be inspired by Audio Overviews, which first made its debut in NotebookLM and was later released in the Gemini app.
Google describes it as “a short verbal synopsis of the contents in your document, including multiple tabs. These summaries are typically under a few minutes long and use a natural speaking style to help you catch up quickly and efficiently.”
Users can choose from a variety of voice options, including narrator, persuader, coach, and more. They can also adjust playback speed or use the seeker tool to skip forward or backward. While Google doesn’t specifically mention it, the generated summaries are designed to be based solely on the content of the document, without adding information from external sources. For organizations, it’s worth noting that there are no administrative controls for Audio Summaries.
Google Rolls Out Feature to Business and Education Plans
Google announced that the feature is being rolled out to Business Standard and Plus, Enterprise Standard and Plus, as well as subscribers of the Google AI Ultra for Business and Google AI Pro for Education add-ons, along with Google AI Pro and Ultra plans.
