By Pavethran Batmanathan,
Google is taking search to the next level by turning traditional internet queries into interactive voice based conversations using artificial intelligence.
The company announced a new feature called Audio Overviews which uses its Gemini AI models to deliver spoken summaries of search results. This allows users to get quick conversational style responses to their queries, perfect for those who prefer listening to information while multitasking or going hands free.
“Audio overviews offer a simple convenient way to understand a topic especially when you’re on the go,” Google shared in a blog post. While the AI reads out summaries, related web pages appear in the onscreen audio player giving users a quick way to dive deeper into the topic if they choose.
This update is part of Google’s broader effort to integrate generative AI into its search engine a bold move as it navigates concerns about how AI could impact its core ad based business.
CEO Sundar Pichai recently introduced an enhanced AI mode in Search which takes things a step beyond the existing AI Overviews that appear at the top of search results. These summaries powered by Google’s large language models have already reached over 1.5 billion users globally showing how rapidly users are adopting AI enhanced search experiences.
Google’s latest updates come as competition heats up with OpenAI’s ChatGPT which has added its own search functionality to its popular AI assistant. As the AI arms race continues, Google’s focus is clear: making search smarter, faster and more conversational.
