Google News Introduces Listen Tab for AI Audio Briefings

Google News continues to integrate AI-powered features to improve how people consume news. The company has now introduced Audio Briefing, allowing users to listen to a podcast-style summary of the stories directly in the app. The feature is live in version 5.146.x of the app, though it appears to be rolling out gradually.

Google News brings an AI-generated Audio Briefing feature

Last week, Google announced a pilot program with publishers worldwide to use AI for more engaging news. The company said it is testing new features within Google News, including AI-powered Article Overviews and Audio Briefings. According to 9to5Google, Audio Briefing is now making its way to Android users in the US. However, it’s unclear whether other regions are also receiving the feature at this time.

The feature appears as a new Listen tab in the Google News app, alongside the existing Home, Following, and Newstand tabs. If you tap the Listen tab, an audio player slides up from the bottom of the screen. The player design aligns with Material 3 Expressive rules. It features a bunch of controls, such as play/pause, 15-second rewind, 30-second skip forward, and playback speed options. Furthermore, there’s a button to jump to the next story that lets you move through multiple subjects quickly.

While a story is playing, the headline shows up at the top of the player. You can also tap a “See featured article” button to read the story. If you want to provide feedback, you can tap the three-dot menu in the player, where Google notes, “The Audio Briefing is generated by AI. AI can make mistakes.”

Speaking of the briefing style, Audio Briefing uses a conversational format where two AI hosts discuss the news. This makes the experience feel more like a short podcast. The stories featured in the briefing come from publications like Der Spiegel, The Guardian, Infobae, Kompas, The Times of India, The Washington Examiner, El País, Folha de S. Paulo, and The Washington Post.