Google Trials Audio Overview of Search Results

Google is launching today an experimental Audio Overviews feature that generates conversational audio responses for select search queries. The generative AI feature leverages Google’s latest Gemini models, and it complements the ChatGPT-like AI Overviews that Google has been testing at the top of search results in some markets.

As Google’s search engine is threatened by ChatGPT and other “answer engines,” the company is currently working hard to reinvent the traditional search experience with AI. The company sees these new audio overviews as “a convenient, hands-free way to absorb information whether you’re multitasking or simply prefer an audio experience.”

At the moment, audio overviews will only appear in search results when Google’s systems determine that they could be useful. Users will see the option to generate an audio overview on the topic of their query on the search results page, and the audio player will display relevant web links to dive deeper. Testers can also give a thumbs up/down on each audio overview.

The conversational nature of audio overviews is quite reminiscent of the discussions with virtual hosts that Google’s NotebookLM app can generate on any topic. If you want to try the experimental feature, it’s currently only available in countries where Search Labs & experiments are available, and you’ll need to opt in on this page.