What’s new: Google is testing a feature called Daily Listen that transforms users’ search interests and Discover feed activity into personalized five-minute audio summaries.
- The experimental feature is currently rolling out to Android and iOS users in the United States through Google’s Search Labs
- Daily Listen analyzes users’ search history and Discover feed interactions to identify and summarize relevant news stories
- The feature provides both audio content and text transcripts for accessibility
Key features and functionality: The AI-powered system offers a comprehensive suite of audio controls and user interaction options.
- Users can access playback controls including play, pause, mute, rewind, and skip functions
- A “Related stories” tab allows users to provide feedback through thumbs up/down ratings
- The feature appears in a personalized widget carousel beneath the Search bar in the Google app
- Users can explore additional topics through the interface
Technical implementation: Daily Listen builds upon Google’s existing AI infrastructure and previous experiments.
- The system functions similarly to the Audio Overviews feature in Google’s NotebookLM project
- Implementation follows a pattern similar to Google’s AI Search Overviews, which were initially tested in Search Labs before wider release
Looking ahead: The experimental nature of Daily Listen suggests a measured approach to deployment and integration.
- Google has not announced a timeline for broader public release
- The feature could become permanent, following the path of AI Search Overviews
- Questions remain about user control options, with some concerns about the ability to opt out of such AI features based on previous experiences
Google can turn your Discover feed into an AI-generated podcast