Google tests AI audio overviews directly in mobile search results

Google has rolled out a test feature that integrates AI-generated Audio Overviews directly into mobile search results, allowing users to generate podcast-style discussions about their queries. The experiment, available through Google Labs, expands the company’s audio AI capabilities beyond existing tools like NotebookLM and Gemini, bringing conversational AI content directly to the search experience.

How it works: Users can generate AI-powered audio discussions for certain search queries through a new button that appears on the first page of mobile search results.

• When searching for topics like “How do noise cancellation headphones work?”, a “Generate Audio Overview” button appears beneath the “People also ask” module.
• The AI takes up to 40 seconds to create the audio content, which features two AI-generated hosts enthusiastically discussing the searched topic.
• The completed overview appears in an embedded player within search results, offering standard playback controls including play, pause, mute, and speed adjustment options.

What you should know: The feature mirrors the conversational format that has made Audio Overviews popular in other Google products.

• Similar to NotebookLM and Gemini versions, the search-based Audio Overviews use two AI hosts to create engaging discussions about complex topics.
• Source links appear directly below the playback bar, allowing users to access the original materials used to generate the audio content.
• The test is currently limited to English-language searches in the United States.

The big picture: Google continues expanding Audio Overviews across its ecosystem since the tool’s launch last year.

• The feature has already been integrated into various Google products, enabling users to generate audio discussions from notes, Gemini’s deep research, Google Docs files, and other sources.
• By bringing Audio Overviews directly to search results, Google is positioning audio as a primary content format alongside traditional text and visual results.