Google Docs is evolving from a primary textual content editor into an interactive productiveness companion. The corporate has began rolling out a brand new function referred to as “Audio Summaries,” powered by Gemini. This permits paid Workspace customers to take heed to high-quality, podcast-style recaps of their paperwork as an alternative of studying them.
The replace, which started on February 12, provides a brand new choice underneath Instruments > Audio > Hearken to Doc Abstract. When chosen, Gemini analyzes the doc’s content material—throughout a number of tabs—and generates a spoken synopsis that sometimes lasts underneath three minutes.
Not like normal display screen readers that learn textual content word-for-word in a robotic method, this function is designed to “synthesize” info. It extracts key ideas and presents them in a pure, conversational tone, just like the favored “Audio Overview” function in Google’s NotebookLM.
Key Options for Multitaskers:
Customers can swap between totally different personas, reminiscent of a impartial “Narrator,” an brisk “Persuader,” or a supportive “Coach.”
A built-in media participant permits customers to pause, rewind, and modify playback velocity from 0.5x to 2x.
The software generates a script based mostly on the doc’s core concepts somewhat than simply studying the textual content aloud.
Who Will get Entry?
This function is at present restricted to paid subscribers and isn’t obtainable totally free private Google accounts. Eligible plans embrace:
Google AI Professional and Extremely tiers
Enterprise Normal and Enterprise Plus
Enterprise Normal and Enterprise Plus
Accounts with Google AI for Schooling or Enterprise add-ons
Google has acknowledged that that is an “prolonged rollout,” indicating that it might take longer than the everyday 15 days to achieve all eligible customers. For professionals overwhelmed by studies or college students going by prolonged notes, this replace offers a recent method to digest info whereas commuting or multitasking. It successfully transforms a set of dry paperwork into a personalised information feed.
