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AI Quick Tips 315: Google Docs with Audio Summaries

A graphic title card on a dark blue background. On the left is an orange robot head with a speech bubble containing the text 'AI'. To the right is a light blue circle containing the words 'Quick Tips'.

Google is showing their advantages in the AI race by integrating AI tools into their already massive product list. This time, it is another Gemini feature within Google Docs.

If you click on Tools, then Audio, you’ll have an option to “Listen to document summaryA screenshot of a Google Doc with the "Tools" menu open. Three orange arrows highlight the navigation path to a new audio feature: the first points to the "Tools" menu in the top toolbar, the second points to a new "Audio" menu item with a "New" blue badge, and the third points to the resulting sub-menu option "Listen to document summary". Other sub-menu options visible include "Listen to this tab" and standard tools like Translate document and Voice typing.

 

If you used NotebookLM’s audio overviews in the early days then this is pretty similar.

 

If you think about all of the things that you can put into a Doc, the possibilities are almost endless. If you are drawing a blank on how this could be useful, I’ll give you some examples -

  • Open a book in Docs and get a summary before you read through hundreds of pages
  • Get a transcription of your last Zoom meeting, put it in Docs, and get a summary to see if you need to watch the entire 2 hours
  • Get summaries of long, multi-page Docs that you create to make sure that it sends the message(s) that you intended
  • Etc.

 

As you can see above, there is also an option under the same menu to listen to the tab. So, in practice, if you listen to the summary and you are still interested in the entire Doc, you can listen to it instead of reading if that is your preference.

 


 

See a demo of this:

 

 

 
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