Text-to-speech tech isn’t new. Your computer has likely had the ability for years at this point, though the end result might not necessarily be ideal.
Google wants to make the experience better for Docs users. Starting today, Google Docs has a new AI-powered Audio option that creates „audio versions“ of your documents. What that really means is this: Google is using Gemini to generate more a natural and realistic text-to-speech experience. It works, but it’s still far from perfect.
Google announced the news in a blog post on Wednesday, just hours before the company’s Made by Google 2025 event. To use the feature, open a doc, then select the „Tools“ tab from the menu bar. If you have access, you’ll see a new „Audio“ option. Select this, and a playback bar will appear in the bottom left corner of the window—though you can move it wherever you’d like. After the AI has a chance to process the doc, it will start speaking automatically.
Google’s AI voice tech is a bit hit or miss, here. The voice itself is realistic, and it occasionally hits some natural inflections and rhythms, but it also has plenty of moments where the facade falls. If you’re familiar with „AI voice,“ you’ll hear that here.
That said, Google does offer some tools to customize the experience. You can adjust the playback speed, between 0.5x and 2x. There are also seven voices to choose from here. The default is Narrator, which Google describes as „smooth, medium pitch,“ but you can also pick from six other choices, including:
-
Educator: Friendly, higher pitch
-
Teacher: Clear, low pitch
-
Persuader: Engaging, low pitch
-
Explainer: Lively, low pitch
-
Coach: Lively, higher pitch
-
Motivator: Energetic, medium pitch
If you are the author of the page, you can also choose to insert an audio button into the doc. That way, all other contributors and readers can listen if they want to.
This feature is available to a wide variety of Google Workspace users, including Business Standard and Plus, Enterprise Standard and Plus, Gemini Education, Gemini Education Premium, Gemini Business, and Gemini Enterprise. In addition, if you subscribe to Google AI Pro or Google AI Ultra, you also have access to this feature.