Google updates Gemini AI with “Canvas” and audio overviews

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Google has announced a major upgrade to Gemini, introducing new tools that make working with documents, code, and summaries easier and more efficient. 

The update brings a new interactive workspace called Canvas, which lets users write, edit, and collaborate in real time. 

Previously called “Composer,” Canvas is designed to help users create and refine text and code with Gemini’s assistance. 

For example, if you’re writing a report, you can highlight a paragraph and ask Gemini to make it more concise, formal, or even casual. 

Canvas also supports coding. If you’re a developer, you can use it to generate HTML, React, or Python code. 

It provides a live preview of the code—so you can see exactly how your website or app will look before finalizing it. However, for now, the code preview feature is only available on the web.

Another key advantage of Canvas is that it integrates seamlessly with Google’s ecosystem. Once you’re happy with your work, you can export it directly to Google Docs with just one click, removing the hassle of copying and pasting between different platforms.

Besides this, the update also brings another feature called Audio Overviews, which essentially turns long documents into podcast-like summaries. This feature was originally part of Google’s NotebookLM, but now it’s available within Gemini itself.

When you upload a document, such as an article, report, or study notes, Gemini creates an audio summary with two virtual hosts explaining the key points. 

This means you can “listen” to a document instead of reading through pages of text, making it perfect for multitasking.

Both Canvas and Audio Overview are available for free to Gemini users worldwide. Currently, Audio Overviews are only available in English, but Google plans to expand to other languages very soon.

What are your thoughts on this new update? Do you use Gemini, and are these features going to be useful for your usage? We want to hear from you in the comments below, or via our Twitter or Facebook.