There’s an artificial intelligence epidemic slowly spreading across Google’s ecosystem. It has now reached the company's browser in the form of machine-made summaries. The latest update to Chrome takes any webpage and converts it into a podcast-like AI Audio Overview.
Who wouldn’t want an article boiled down into a few seconds? But the cost is not so subtle for the people writing and reading them. Every time AI inserts itself between us and the original text, it reduces the need for us to read and interpret on our own.
Plus, there's the issue where websites have noticed significant reduction in engagement metrics. Soon, your browser will feel less like a window to the web and more like a filter that decides what counts as digestible information.
Turn every webpage into a conversational podcast
Google has recently embedded an unusual new feature into Chrome for Android. It looks like a small upgrade to the browser’s existing Listen to this page tool. Once you tap it in the app’s menu, a player bar appears at the bottom of your screen with playback controls to pause, skip 10 seconds ahead or back, adjust speed, and even switch voices or languages.
But it was simply a built-in robotic text-to-speech reader. It was designed as an accessibility tool, but it's still useful for anyone who wants hands-free text consumption. Now, however, Chrome inserts an AI-generated Audio Overview between the reader and the article itself. It compresses a webpage into a conversational summary that's presented in the style of a podcast between two synthetic voices.
It reminds me of the Interactive Beta feature on NotebookLM, which seems to have inspired the update and pioneered the idea. The rollout was first noticed by Android Authority’s Mishaal Rahman in the stable version of the app, specifically version 140.0.7339.124, which I currently have.
Although it hasn't launched in my region and has triggered my anticipation to see how it works live. It's understandably so, given that it's only just left the experimental stage and Google's Canary environment.
Related: Google’s New Windows Search App Redefines Desktop Search Experience
Chrome's podcast-like feature will reach your phone soon
You should see the Listen to this page option when you open Chrome's menu. Tap the three-dot icon in the upper-right corner to access it. Then tap the new AI playback button beside the speed control to get started.
If you haven't received it yet and you're curious about what it sounds like, head over to Google’s NotebookLM mobile app and try the Interactive Beta mode in the Studio menu or Audio Overview on the website. It’s primarily designed for learning and research. But it can also be your productivity companion for unconventional uses.
Google has been improving its browser in other ways you might not have noticed. Earlier in June, they added the option to move the address bar between the top and bottom parts. You can either long-press the omnibox and drag it down, or head into settings and toggle its position. You can now operate your phone with one hand in combination with the latest intelligent feature.
Check this out before you go: How to Safely Use a VPN When Accessing Online Casinos
