Google tests AI-generated daily podcast with personalised content: Report

Google is reportedly testing a new AI-powered feature that generates personalised daily podcasts based on users’ interactions online. According to a report by 9To5Google, the new experimental feature is called Daily Listen and is rolling out on Google’s Search Labs platform in the US for both Android and iOS.

According to the report, the experimental Daily Listen feature uses a person’s Google Search data and interaction with the Discover feed to curate topics and stories that they may be interested in. The feature then uses AI to frame a five-minute audio track, which offers an overview of all those topics.

The report stated that the personalised AI-powered audio experiment appears in the carousel underneath the Search bar in the Google app for Android and iOS. The “Daily Listen” carousel card also mentions the date and a “made for you” badge. Tapping on this launches a full-screen audio player that has a scrubber at the bottom, demarcating sections within the audio track. Other options include buttons for play/pause, a 10-second rewind, next story, mute and an option to control the playback speed.

The audio player also offers text transcripts for the curated audio in a YouTube Music’s Lyrics page-like interface. At the bottom of the screen, it also lets users scroll through “Related stories” corresponding to each section of the track. Being an experimental feature, it allows users to give a thumbs up or thumbs down to the generated track for feedback.

Earlier this week, Google started rolling out the new “Ask about this PDF” option in the Gemini overlay for Android users with Gemini Advanced subscriptions. The new “Ask about this PDF” floating bar appears above the Gemini Assistant overlay when a PDF file is opened on the Google Files app. The feature allows users to upload the PDF directly from the interface and prompt the AI with questions related to it.