Google’s AI Generated Podcast Turns Research to Audio
On September 11, Google introduced a new feature in its Google NotebookLM, Audio Overview, to create AI generated podcasts featuring two virtual hosts that discuss and summarize research.
The Audio Overview feature introduces a new way of interacting with notes in Google Notebook LM. Rather than providing text summaries, the new Google AI podcast now offers an audio version, where virtual hosts discuss the material in AI generated podcasts.
Google AI Podcast for Light and Interactive Discussions
Google AI makes podcast not just by summarizing findings and notes, but also by linking topics to each other and sometimes having light chat.
During a Google AI NotebookLM test on the invention of the lightbulb, the AI hosts not only discussed Thomas Edison but also touched on the importance of teamwork, mixing knowledge sharing with casual dialogue.
According to Google, the AI hosts are designed to “banter” with one another, creating a more natural and relatable interaction. The result is often similar to conversations between real humans to make it more engaging and authentic. Google’s approach of integrating this human-like exchange will help the Alphabet-owned company add another layer of personality to the discussions.
The AI hosts adopt modern phrases and a conversational style, but occasionally add quirky twists, such as spelling out words or using unexpected expressions, like referring to platinum as “bling bling metal.”
While these oddities can feel a bit unconventional, Google’s objective here is to make learning from research more engaging and enjoyable by simply infusing casual language into educational discussions with a dash of playfulness.
Never Without Limitations
While the Audio Overview boosts interactive engagement and makes learning more enjoyable, it certainly has limitations.
During the announcement of the feature, Google acknowledged that the AI generated podcasts are neither “comprehensive” nor “objective” but reflect the substance of the notes provided by users.
The tone of discussions in an AI generated podcast may not always be appropriate for more serious topics, such as technology, medicine, or history.
This casual, conversational style might not align with the gravity of certain subjects. On top of that, generating an audio overview can take a few minutes, and the feature currently supports only the English language, limiting its accessibility for non-English speakers.
Google’s announcement stresses that Audio Overview is about improving engagement and is not supposed to be an accurate or deep analysis. If users would like to test generative AI podcast, they can open a notebook in NotebookLM, clicking the Notebook guide in the bottom right corner, and clicking “Load” next to the “Audio Overview” header.
Although its limitations, Google AI NotebookLM is heating up the competition in the AI landscape, challenging its main rivals to come up with new AI features that are able to be more creative than this latest feature.
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