Gemini Can Now Read Your Google Docs Out Loud

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Text-to-speech technology isn’t new. Your computer has probably had this feature for years, although the end result may not be perfect.

Google wants to make Docs a better user experience. Starting today, Google Docs has a new AI-powered audio feature that creates “audio versions” of your documents. What this really means is that Google is using Gemini to create more natural, realistic speech synthesis. It works, but it’s far from perfect.

Google announced the news in a blog post on Wednesday, just hours before the Made by Google 2025 event. To use the feature, open a document and select the Tools tab in the menu bar. If you have access, you’ll see a new option called Audio. Select it, and a playback bar will appear in the bottom-left corner of the window that you can drag anywhere. Once the AI has processed the document, it will begin automatically speaking it.

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Google’s AI-powered voice technology isn’t perfect here. The voice itself is realistic, and sometimes it reproduces natural intonations and rhythms, but there are moments when the falseness falls apart. If you’re familiar with the term “voice AI,” you’ll hear it here.

However, Google does offer customization tools. You can adjust the playback speed from 0.5x to 2x. There are also seven voices to choose from. The default is Narrator, which Google describes as a “smooth, medium-pitch voice,” but you can also choose from six other options, including:

What do you think at the moment?

  • Educator : Friendly, higher tone

  • Teacher : Clear, low voice.

  • Persuasive : attractive, low tone

  • Explainer : Lively, low tone

  • Trainer : Lively, higher tone

  • Motivator : Energetic, medium tone

If you are the author of the page, you can also add an audio button to the document, so that all other participants and readers can listen if they wish.

This feature is available to a wide range of Google Workspace users, including Business Standard and Plus, Enterprise Standard and Plus, Gemini Education, Gemini Education Premium, Gemini Business, and Gemini Enterprise. Additionally, this feature is available with a Google AI Pro or Google AI Ultra subscription.

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