It will also be available in browsers other than Chrome. Google Docs is getting a major improvement that may make its voice-typing capability far more helpful and popular for meeting transcription.

Google Docs upgrade

For some years, the cloud word processor allows you to ‘type’ hands-free using your voice. You simply go to Tools > Voice typing, with your mic switched on. However, an upcoming update will provide some improvement to the functionality. As well as the users will be able to use it in web browsers other than Chrome.

Google Workspace’s parent company said the update will assist decrease transcription mistakes and eliminate lost audio during transcription. Due to the restrictions of the current version, it has lost ground against the greatest speech-to-text apps. Microsoft’s voice recognition and accessibility features have advanced significantly in tools like Word.

Furthermore, Google Docs has also a built-in feature. Let’s hope it can match the accuracy of its increasingly competent competitor. However, it has the potential to become a far more extensively used tool. Especially since it will operate with Google Slides to display a speaker’s remarks in real time.

Another improvement is increased compatibility with most major browsers, which should help the feature to continue to improve. Google hasn’t specified which browsers will be supported. However, it’s safe to assume that Safari, Firefox, and Microsoft Edge are definitely among them.

We’ll most likely find out when the upgrade begins to be distributed over the coming month. Workspace Google customers who have registered for Rapid Release updates, but it will begin to roll out by February.

AI learns to be useful

Google hasn’t said what technology is behind the voice-typing improvement in Google Docs. However, it’s likely to be similar to the AI-based interface which gives companies the to improve services such as customer relations.

With the likes of Dall-E and Midjourney, as well as chatbots like ChatGPT, AI technology in the visual realm has been fast advancing. Handwriting recognition has also gotten a significant increase. However, voice is perhaps one of the most important areas for AI research in terms of usability and accessibility. The speech-to-text software is reliable, and it is only the beginning.

Microsoft Office 365 parent company recently debuted Vall-E. It is a very recent AI technology that can replicate human sounds based on only a three-second sample. Similarly, Apple just debuted its first line of audiobooks with AI-powered narrators.

The technology is now locked down and unavailable to customers as these improvements pose significant ethical concerns about the possibility of impersonation. However, Pandora’s box of voice-based technologies has been blown open.

For the time being, these new AI algorithms of speech-to-text technology found in applications such as Google Docs are the finest text-to-speech software.

As for the inevitable ethical disputes regarding next-generation voice impersonators, hopefully, we will have policies to deal with them.