Tired of endless Google scrolling? Have Google read the webforyou. Introducing Audio Overviews: the slightly cooler cousin to NotebookLM that saves you time and screen fatigue by transforming search results into engaging podcasts.
How to Enable Audio Overviews for Podcasts
Would you like an insight into the days to come at Google? “Audio Overview” is one of those—yet-to-be-released features they are experimenting with. Activation by the user will be necessary in order to begin this audio journey. Time to give Google your ears!
Search Labs at Google brings an incredible shortcut in the form of Audio Overview. Flick the switch to “on” and let it go into your auditory realm. Pro Tip: Keep the login window open for the magic to synchronize across devices, or the feature must be re-enabled every time.
Considering the above text, speculating on what may draw clicks, the writer is probably hinting at a wonderful new feature of Audio Overview in Search Labs. Set the audio toggle button to on, follow a catchy voice, and off you go! Pro Tip: Continue logging in from all devices so the magic synchronizes on all of them or else you have to re-enable the option every time you open a new browser.
Curious? Make a move! Hit “Try an example” for a sneak peek. We have preloaded a search for “how do noise cancellation headphones work,” so you can experience the magic firsthand.
Generating an Audio Overview
Make sure you’re logged in using the same account you used to turn on this experiment. Then, search Google normally.
There’s this podcast that belongs in the AI hall of fame. You’d think the AI overview of tech magazines would be promoting it. But that’s not how it is. You have to dig a little for it.
The audio overview is brewing, almost ready for your ears! Just give it a second and hit play. You’ll get a sharp 2-4 minute summary, custom-built from the data, depending on what the analysis reveals.
Imagine now two AI personas sitting across the virtual table and having a lively debate about search results. Search entries will duel over a top 10; a little minipodcast for your search. The catch is that it will not condense a mountain of data for you. You will need to grasp the scourge called scrolling-a thing of displeasure! Believe me; page two (or three!) sometimes holds the real treasure.
Getting More From the Audio Player
Turn up those opportunities with the audio player! Life going too fast? Now your audio can go too. Twice the speed and then all over through content. Darn, well, maybe that did sound like chipmunks on helium, but who said research couldn’t be fun? Get ready for warp-speed knowledge!
Otherwise, consider putting a leash on AI voices when these chromatic actors get a little too over-enthusiastic. To be honest, turning that pace to the slowest one turns the whole narration into a Hollywood blockbuster-worthy show.
Sadly, a final big thing is that Google lifts its insights from a limited pool of top search results. Curious where the magic comes from? Right underneath the video player is the list of source websites. Just scroll the list to see all the sites that contributed.
Not Widely Available Just Yet
Audio Overviews? More like Audio Occasionally. In my experience, this feature appeared about once in a blue moon. The real kicker? Searching “what are Google Audio Overviews” brought up…zilch. No help, just a silent ironic void.
There is no overview below “People also ask”? Some topics are not much VIP. Why these overviews aren’t universal? Another unsolved mystery. Maybe someday each and every search term will have its own Cliff Notes. For now, it is a hit-or-miss situation.
Not Always Accurate
“Think of this podcast as your slightly inebriated tour guide, straying at times from the map to chase a conversational butterfly or two, sometimes mistaking the landmarks. Consider yourself warned-it’s a detour audio adventure.”
Google itself warns that these tools heavily rely on generative AI, an imperfect technology. Always double-check information if it seems questionable against original sources that have been offered. Small doses of skepticism work wonders.
Use the thumbs up/down buttons to provide feedback to help Google improve the feature before it’s officially released.
Getting More Search Summaries
Audio Overview not working for you? Don’t sweat it, you have the embarked option of unleashing the power of Google’s NotebookLM to dissect your sources, or allow Gemini to perform audio magic on the uploaded documents. Alternative routes, same audio enlightenment.
Want to feed AI Overview data to Google Gemini? Here’s a little trick: Convert that search result summary into a Google Doc! Just find the Export button hidden away below the AI Overview, click that sucker, and explode the info into a new Doc. Is this a bit slower? Sure, but who cares; it works.
So after you set up that AI summary, just feed it to Gemini for instant audio. Keep in mind: never ever kit copy pasting into another summarizer-all those power going into Gemini.
Or, you could look into Copilot’s podcast feature. The bigger picture might appear too general first; nevertheless, you can pinpoint your sources and, thus, refine your search to immensely pinpoint accuracy. The best part? It’s free! Just watch your weekly query limit if you’re on the free plan.
Buried in emails? Rescue yourself in time and claim the victory over your inbox. From under your very nose lies your secret weapon: Gmail’s email summarizer. And here finally comes swift Creation of the much-fabled inbox zero!
Thanks for reading How to Summarize Search Results With a Google Audio Overview
