Google converts text into podcasts in Ukrainian: how Audio Overviews works
3 May 06:24
Google has expanded the functionality of its NotebookLM tool by adding support for the Ukrainian language in the Audio Overviews function, an artificial intelligence that converts text materials into a podcast-like audio format. From now on, users can create and listen to conversations with AI hosts in their native language, Komersant ukrainskyi reports citing The Verge.
Audio Overviews supports more than 50 languages, including Ukrainian, Spanish, Portuguese, French, Hindi, Turkish, Korean, and Chinese, and is available in more than 200 countries.
With this tool, users can turn their texts, notes, or research into dynamic audio conversations using Google Docs, as well as integration with the Gemini AI model.
What are Audio Overviews?
Audio Overviews is a feature within the Google Gemini (formerly Bard) ecosystem that allows you to create voice summaries of documents. But it’s not just reading out text, it’s a real audio show: voices engage in a dialog, ask questions, provide examples, and help the listener better understand the content.
The technology is designed to reduce information overload and allow users to get the gist of large texts faster.
Here’s how Audio Overviews works
You open a document in Google Docs, click the “Create an overview” or “Audio overview” option, and Gemini starts working.
The AI analyzes the text, identifies key points, structure, and logic, and creates a podcast-style script. Then it voices it with two synthetic voices that communicate with each other in the spirit of a radio show. They can ask rhetorical questions, add intonations, and improvise within the topic.
The user receives a ready-made audio file that can be listened to in a browser or mobile app. You can rewind, pause, or ask Gemini additional questions to clarify the content. This is useful when time is limited and the text is long and complex.
How to use the Audio Overviews feature
To use the feature, you need to go to NotebookLM, open the settings in the upper right corner, and select Ukrainian in the “Output Language” section.
Google notes that this is only the first step in the development of this feature, and the company plans to improve it based on user feedback. Since the launch of Audio Overviews in 2023, the feature has been constantly expanded, including the ability to interact with AI hosts and customize their behavior in a conversation.
