It seems the AI 'podcasters' you create with Google's NotebookLM have been playing a lot of Duolingo. The AI-generated hosts of the Audio Overview feature can now perform in more than 50 languages. Audio Overview is the NotebookLM feature that transforms the documents, videos, books, and other information you give it into an audio show hosted by a couple of AI voices.

When you make the Audio Overview now, you can go to the settings and pick an Output Language ahead of generating the audio. You can also switch languages on the fly, generate summaries for friends or students in their native tongue, or prep multilingual study guides without hiring a translator or braving the often messy results of Google Translate.

The addition may not seem like a big deal among other AI spectacles, but it's potentially huge. Language plays a gatekeeper for so many things, especially technology. Now, Google can entice those who might be interested in playing with its AI toy without them having to learn a whole new language.

An entire global audience of people studying, teaching, researching, or just interested in learning new things can now better navigate a Google platform previously limited by English exclusivity. Teachers, for instance, can upload a hodgepodge of resources in different languages and generate a digestible audio recap in whatever language their students are most comfortable with.

Global AI podcasts

The feature is only in beta, and Google is keen to caution that there are still some problems. The voices might stumble, and you might encounter weird or wrong translations, especially in less frequently used languages. But the synthetic personalities will still discuss your research paper sources or complete home makeover guide and riff, recap, and remark on the content; it's just that English won't be the only tongue they do it in.

That tone matters. One of the reasons Audio Overviews clicked with users in the first place is that they don’t sound like a monotone robot trying to teach you tax law. The AI hosts crack jokes, pause for effect, and express amazement in (usually) appropriate spots.

There’s something deeply satisfying about hearing your own research about ancient Rome explained to you in Latin. It definitely makes learning the language feel more exciting. Amo audire podcasts novis linguis.

You might also like