Google’s new Search Labs experiment delivers daily audio news updates

Google LLC has reportedly launched a new Search Labs experiment called “Daily Listen,” which creates a daily audio summary of news that interests users.

First reported by 9to5GoogleDaily Listen is an AI-powered audio experiment that appears in a cosmic carousel below the search bar at the top of the Google app on Android and iOS. Tapping the Daily Listen card takes users to a full-screen player where they can listen to a five-minute audio summary of the stories and topics they’re following.

Daily Listen reportedly shows a text transcript with cover art and gives users playback controls including play/pause, 10-second rewind, next story, playback speed, and mute. The mute option is intended for users who prefer to simply read the transcript. At the bottom, users are also shown similar stories and given the option to search for more information.

The new feature has reportedly started rolling out to users in the US today, but there haven’t been many reports yet that people can access it. According to Once Android Police is launched, users can take part in the experiment by opening the Google app and clicking the Labs icon at the top of the screen. Once they agree, users will have to wait a day before they receive their first daily listen.

Although SiliconANGLE has not yet gained access to the new service, it is similar to the technology used in Google NotebookLM, which launched last year. NotebookLM can take various data sources, links, videos and more and turn them into a podcast where two artificially created voices discuss the topic at hand.

Based on reports, Daily Listen does not have any customization features. Essentially, it creates a podcast based on what users read or read, but the general idea is the same.

Despite the lack of customization features, Daily Listen is not the first service of its type. Artificial intelligence speech generation startup Eleven Labs Inc. has launched GenFM, a product that does something similar: at the end of last year. It can create podcasts from PDFs, news articles, eBooks, and more, and is free to use for both iOS and Android users.

Image: 9to5Google