It will be true that it’s a bloody war out there in AI land for the foreseeable future; everybody should understand why this war is going to intensify rather than end, because the AI-assisted technical productivity and capabilities of mfg/design are now being focused on removing those hardware and software constraints to accelerating the improvement of technical productivity and capability of AI systems.

This document is the result of some ongoing conversations with Claude, Grok, Gemini and ChatGPT.

Table of Contents

• 1. Introduction to Google Illuminate
• 2. How Google Illuminate Works
• 3. Features and Limitations of Google Illuminate
• 4. Comparative Analysis: Google Illuminate vs. OpenAI Text-to-Speech
• 5. Open Source Status and Developer Perspectives
• 6. Public Discourse and Sentiment Analysis
• 7. The Landscape of AI-Driven Audio Discussion Services
• 8. Google’s Vision for Illuminate and Gemini Advanced
• 9. Industry Views and Future Outlook
• 10. Points of Disagreement in Source Materials
• 11. Conclusion
• 12. Works cited

Google Illuminate and Other Text-to-Speech AI Technologies: Tools Using AI To Make Academic Research Accessible

1. Introduction to Google Illuminate

Google Illuminate is an experimental AI tool designed to transform complex academic papers into engaging audio conversations. Developed as part of Google Labs, it primarily focuses on academic papers available on the arXiv platform, with an emphasis on computer science and biology fields. The tool leverages Google’s advanced Gemini language model to generate conversational audio discussions between two AI-generated voices, creating podcast-like summaries of dense research materials.

The tool is specifically designed for enhancing the accessibility of academic content, offering users a way to consume complex research papers through audio while multitasking. While initially focused on arXiv papers, later updates appear to have expanded support to include general web URLs and books, showing Google’s commitment to evolving the experimental platform based on user feedback.

2. How Google Illuminate Works

Users access Illuminate through its website (illuminate.google.com) after getting through a waitlist. The process typically involves:

1. Searching for academic papers or uploading PDF documents (initially limited to arXiv but later expanded)
2. Selecting conversation style preferences (casual, guided, or formal)
3. Initiating the audio generation process
4. Receiving a podcast-like conversation between AI voices discussing the paper

The tool creates approximately 5-8 minute conversations for typical papers, featuring realistic-sounding voices that discuss key points in a natural, conversational manner. Users can adjust playback settings, save conversations to their personal libraries, and share generated content with others.

3. Features and Limitations of Google Illuminate

Features:

• Conversational format with two AI-generated voices
• Natural-sounding discussions with realistic vocal qualities
• Customization options for tone, duration, target audience, and language complexity
• Intuitive user interface with standard audio playback controls
• Integration with research platforms like arXiv.org
• Voice customization features (added in later updates)
• Ability to share generated audio conversations

Limitations:

• Daily usage limits (initially reported as 19-20 generations but later mentioned as 5 per day)
• 30-day storage period for conversations that aren’t explicitly saved
• Initially limited to processing content from arXiv.org (though later expanded)
• Primarily supports English language only
• No audio download option in initial versions
• No public API for developer integration
• Experimental status with uncertain long-term availability

4. Comparative Analysis: Google Illuminate vs. OpenAI Text-to-Speech

Key Differences

Strengths and Weaknesses

Google Illuminate:

• Strengths: Streamlined process for research paper audio conversion, conversational format enhances engagement, natural-sounding voices, specialized for academic content
• Weaknesses: Limited accessibility (waitlist), restricted content focus, no public API, uncertain future as an experimental tool

OpenAI Text-to-Speech:

• Strengths: Extensive voice customization, public API for developer integration, versatility for various applications, broader language support
• Weaknesses: Requires separate content summarization, potentially higher costs for high-volume usage, less specialized for academic content

Sources note that Google Cloud’s text-to-speech offerings (which may underlie Illuminate) provide more feature-rich options compared to OpenAI’s, including voice cloning and phone format support. However, OpenAI’s solution may be more cost-effective for users with higher volume requirements.

5. Open Source Status and Developer Perspectives

There is no evidence from the available information that Google plans to open-source Illuminate. While Google has a history of open-sourcing various AI and speech-related projects like TensorFlow, JAX, and client libraries for Google Cloud Text-to-Speech, Illuminate remains positioned as an experimental project within Google Labs.

A point of potential confusion exists with a PHP wrapper library called “illuminate-google” for Laravel/Lumen frameworks, but this is unrelated to the Google Illuminate AI tool discussed here.

From a developer perspective, the lack of a public API for Illuminate significantly limits its direct integration into custom applications, especially when compared to OpenAI’s readily accessible API. Developers interested in creating audio discussions from academic papers currently have a few options:

1. Use Illuminate as an end-user tool (subject to waitlist and usage limitations)
2. Leverage OpenAI’s text-to-speech API with separate summarization tools
3. Explore alternative services like Audiolizer, Audemic Scholar, Listening.io, or PDF2Audio
4. Build custom solutions using available APIs and models

For developers seeking to create audio discussions that simulate university-level seminars discussing research papers, the current landscape requires either using experimental tools with uncertain futures or building custom solutions by combining AI summarization with advanced text-to-speech capabilities.

6. Public Discourse and Sentiment Analysis

Conversations on X (formerly Twitter)

Public discourse on X regarding Google Illuminate reveals generally positive sentiment. Users have expressed appreciation for:

• The conversational audio format
• Intuitive design
• Natural quality of AI-generated voices
• Ability to make dense academic content more accessible

However, some criticisms and concerns have also emerged:

• Experts like Dr. Emily Chen (Stanford University) have cautioned about potential biases in AI-summarized content
• Initial limitations to arXiv content were noted as restrictive
• Uncertainty about the tool’s experimental status and future development

Users frequently compare Illuminate with Google’s NotebookLM, distinguishing between Illuminate’s focused audio approach for research papers and NotebookLM’s broader content integration capabilities.

Analysis of Blog Posts and Articles

Blog posts provide more detailed analysis of user experiences, highlighting:

• The tool’s ease of use
• Its specific focus on academic content
• The high quality of AI-generated conversations
• Potential benefits for researchers and students

Recent articles have noted the introduction of voice customization features and the expansion to support general web URLs as input sources, indicating Google’s responsiveness to user feedback.

Some blog posts and articles speculate on potential future applications of Illuminate and its possible integration with other Google services, though there are no confirmed plans from Google.

7. The Landscape of AI-Driven Audio Discussion Services

Research into existing services offering AI-driven audio discussions reveals a growing market with various features and pricing models. Services that provide similar functionality include:

While these services offer robust text-to-speech capabilities and some support podcast creation, few are explicitly designed to generate the specific type of 15-minute graduate/faculty university seminar-style discussions with divergent views on pre-print papers.

Currently, achieving the desired nuanced output likely necessitates custom development leveraging advanced language models and text-to-speech APIs provided by companies like OpenAI or Google Cloud. The AI audio market is dynamic and rapidly expanding, suggesting that services offering more specialized capabilities may emerge in the future.

8. Google’s Vision for Illuminate and Gemini Advanced

Currently, there is no explicit indication that Google plans to integrate Illuminate directly into Gemini Advanced or other Google products. However, Illuminate’s focus on learning and providing accessible information aligns with Google’s broader AI strategy in education and learning domains, particularly through initiatives like LearnLM, which represents Google’s family of models fine-tuned for educational experiences.

Given this broader context, it is plausible that successful features or underlying technology developed for Illuminate could eventually be incorporated into Gemini Advanced or other Google learning-focused products. The experimental nature of Illuminate suggests that Google is likely still evaluating its potential and gathering user feedback.

The potential synergy between Illuminate’s audio generation capabilities and Gemini’s multimodal understanding presents compelling possibilities for future learning experiences, even if immediate integration plans remain uncertain.

9. Industry Views and Future Outlook

Industry perspectives on Google Illuminate and the broader text-to-speech market indicate significant growth potential, driven by:

• Increasing demand for accessibility tools
• Enhanced customer service applications
• Rise of conversational AI and voice interfaces
• Integration with IoT and smart devices

There is a clear trend toward developing more natural-sounding AI voices and expanding multilingual support. Google Illuminate occupies a unique position as a specialized tool focused on academic content, differentiating it from general-purpose TTS APIs.

While Illuminate has garnered praise for the quality of its AI-generated conversations, the industry also acknowledges ethical considerations surrounding AI-generated audio, including the potential for misuse in creating misinformation and impact on human content creators.

The future outlook for AI audio tools is promising, with continued advancements expected in voice quality, customization, and the development of more specialized applications. For users interested in creating AI-driven academic discussions, the key considerations will be the persistence of experimental services versus the development of custom solutions.

10. Points of Disagreement in Source Materials

Several areas of disagreement or ambiguity exist in the compiled sources:

1. Daily Usage Limits: The daily limit on audio generations is reported as 19-20 in some sources and 5 in others, suggesting either changes in the platform over time or inconsistent reporting.

2. Content Scope: While initially focused on arXiv papers (particularly computer science), some sources indicate expansion to include other content types like books and general web URLs, suggesting evolution of the platform.

3. Voice Customization: Early descriptions mention limited voice options, while later sources discuss more advanced voice customization features, indicating updates to the platform over time.

4. Comparison with OpenAI: Some sources suggest Google’s voice technology is superior in features and quality, while others emphasize OpenAI’s advantages in flexibility and integration. There appears to be no definitive technical comparison specifically between Illuminate and OpenAI’s offerings.

5. Integration with Google Products: Sources speculate differently about potential integration with Gemini Advanced or other Google services, with no clear consensus or official information.

11. Conclusion

Google Illuminate represents an innovative approach to making academic content more accessible through AI-generated audio discussions. While it currently has limitations in terms of customization, language support, and content focus, it showcases the potential for AI to transform how we consume complex information.

For those interested in creating AI-voiced academic discussions similar to a graduate seminar on research papers, several options exist in the market, from Google’s experimental tools to commercial services. However, the specific capability of generating nuanced academic seminar-style discussions featuring divergent viewpoints on theoretical papers is not yet commonly available as a turnkey solution.

As the technology evolves, we can expect more sophisticated features, better voice quality, and broader application areas. Whether Google will open-source Illuminate remains uncertain, but its development signals the growing importance of audio-based learning in AI’s educational applications.

The transformative potential of tools like Google Illuminate in democratizing access to complex academic knowledge suggests that similar technologies will continue to develop, either as stand-alone services or integrated features in larger AI platforms, reshaping how researchers, students, and the general public engage with scholarly content.

12. Works cited

1. Google’s Illuminate: Revolutionizing How We Listen to Academic Papers - OpenTools, accessed March 26, 2025, https://opentools.ai/news/googles-illuminate-revolutionizing-how-we-listen-to-academic-papers
2. Google’s Illuminate: Turning Complex Research into Accessible Podcasts - PRASIT, accessed March 26, 2025, https://imprasit.medium.com/googles-illuminate-turning-complex-research-into-accessible-podcasts-e65ab47c8451
3. How to Create Podcasts using Google Illuminate? - Analytics Vidhya, accessed March 26, 2025, https://www.analyticsvidhya.com/blog/2024/12/create-podcasts-using-google-illuminate/
4. Google Illuminate: Turn Texts into Engaging AI Podcasts - NanoBits, accessed March 26, 2025, https://nanobits.beehiiv.com/p/3-minutes-to-master-any-research-paper-with-google-illuminate
5. Google Illuminate AI Podcast Generator Quick Access - Autopod AI, accessed March 26, 2025, https://autopodcastai.com/google-illuminate-podcast/

6. Google’s Illuminate vs. NotebookLM — Making Technical Papers Accessible

   by Grace L, accessed March 26, 2025, https://medium.com/@gracelinja/googles-illuminate-vs-notebooklm-making-technical-papers-accessible-ef3fcd5363f4

7. Google’s Illuminate AI: A New Way to Create Your Own AI-Generated Podcasts - KDnuggets, accessed March 26, 2025, https://www.kdnuggets.com/google-illuminate-new-way-ai-generated-podcasts

8. Illuminate is a new AI podcasting tool from Google — here’s how it works

   Tom’s Guide, accessed March 26, 2025, https://www.tomsguide.com/ai/illuminate-is-a-new-ai-podcasting-tool-from-google-heres-how-it-works

9. How generative AI expands curiosity and understanding with LearnLM - Google Blog, accessed March 26, 2025, https://blog.google/outreach-initiatives/education/google-learnlm-gemini-generative-ai/

10. Illuminate

    From text to podcast with Google’s AI

    Blogs La Salle

    Campus Barcelona, accessed March 26, 2025, https://blogs.salleurl.edu/en/illuminate-text-podcast-googles-ai

11. Google’s new AI tool ‘Illuminate’ turns complex research into simple conversations - CO/AI, accessed March 26, 2025, https://getcoai.com/news/googles-new-ai-tool-illuminate-turns-complex-research-into-simple-conversations/
12. Illuminate: A Glimpse of Google’s Cautious Innovation - Daniel’s Journal, accessed March 26, 2025, https://danielraffel.me/2024/09/05/illuminate-a-glimpse-of-googles-cautious-innovation/
13. It’s A Bloody War Out There In AI Land:Google Just Dropped Another Bombshell. - Medium, accessed March 26, 2025, https://medium.com/@ameritor/its-a-bloody-war-out-there-in-ai-land-google-just-dropped-another-bombshell-c3124b04575e
14. Google Launches ‘Illuminate’ that Turns Books and Papers Into Podcasts - Zeniteq, accessed March 26, 2025, https://www.zeniteq.com/blog/google-launches-illuminate-that-turns-books-and-papers-into-podcasts
15. Google AI’s Illuminate Makes Better Podcast than NotebookLM - YouTube, accessed March 26, 2025, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XYfonzetUL4
16. Google Illuminate expands AI podcasts with voice customization - TestingCatalog, accessed March 26, 2025, https://www.testingcatalog.com/google-illuminate-expands-ai-podcasts-with-voice-customization/

17. Google Illuminate Demo

    Transforming Dense Research Papers into Engaging Podcasts, accessed March 26, 2025, https://aidemos.com/tools/google-illuminate

18. Illuminate Simplifies AI Research with Podcasts - Mischa Dohler, accessed March 26, 2025, https://mischadohler.com/illuminate-simplifies-ai-research-with-podcasts/
19. Building a AI Podcast Generator Inspired by Google’s NotebookLM and Illuminate - Medium, accessed March 26, 2025, https://medium.com/google-cloud/building-a-dynamic-podcast-generator-inspired-by-googles-notebooklm-and-illuminate-e585cfcd0af1
20. Google Illuminate: Engage Audiences with AI Audio - Supertools, accessed March 26, 2025, https://supertools.therundown.ai/content/google-illuminate
21. Text to speech - OpenAI API, accessed March 26, 2025, https://platform.openai.com/docs/guides/text-to-speech
22. OpenAI Text-to-Speech API for Developers: Everything You Need to Know - Puppetry AI, accessed March 26, 2025, https://www.puppetry.com/posts/openai-text-to-speech-api-for-developers-everything-you-need-to-know
23. Audio and speech - OpenAI API, accessed March 26, 2025, https://platform.openai.com/docs/guides/audio
24. How to Use Text to Speech OpenAI API: A Comprehensive Guide, accessed March 26, 2025, https://www.getpeech.com/blog/how-to-use-text-to-speech-openai-api
25. TTS API - OpenAI Help Center, accessed March 26, 2025, https://help.openai.com/en/articles/8555505-tts-api
26. OpenAI Text To Speech Voice API With Samples, accessed March 26, 2025, https://play.ht/blog/openai-text-to-speech-voice-api/
27. Introducing next-generation audio models in the API - OpenAI, accessed March 26, 2025, https://openai.com/index/introducing-our-next-generation-audio-models/
28. What are OpenAI text to speech voices? - Azure AI services - Learn Microsoft, accessed March 26, 2025, https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/ai-services/speech-service/openai-voices
29. Text-to-Speech AI: Lifelike Speech Synthesis - Google Cloud, accessed March 26, 2025, https://cloud.google.com/text-to-speech

30. Openai Tts Api Pricing

    Restackio, accessed March 26, 2025, https://www.restack.io/p/text-to-speech-answer-openai-tts-api-pricing-cat-ai

31. API Pricing - OpenAI, accessed March 26, 2025, https://openai.com/api/pricing/
32. Introducing the Realtime API - OpenAI, accessed March 26, 2025, https://openai.com/index/introducing-the-realtime-api/
33. Azure OpenAI Service - Pricing, accessed March 26, 2025, https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/pricing/details/cognitive-services/openai-service/
34. TTS API Speed and Quality Issues - OpenAI Developer Forum, accessed March 26, 2025, https://community.openai.com/t/tts-api-speed-and-quality-issues/601739

35. Twitter Algorithm is now public. Here’s what I learned.

    by Sarvesh P.

    ILLUMINATION, accessed March 26, 2025, https://medium.com/illumination/twitter-algorithm-is-now-public-heres-what-i-learned-27b9155c3890

36. Illuminate - Enabling Text to Speech - YouTube, accessed March 26, 2025, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZvkwmC1sACM
37. Hands-On Intro to Illuminate (New Google AI for Podcasts/Speech) - YouTube, accessed March 26, 2025, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_UNxUXO6DLw

38. Illuminate

    Learn Your Way - Google, accessed March 26, 2025, https://illuminate.google.com/

39. Cloud Text-to-Speech basics, accessed March 26, 2025, https://cloud.google.com/text-to-speech/docs/basics

40. Text To Speech

    Gemini API Developer Competition

    Google AI for Developers, accessed March 26, 2025, https://ai.google.dev/competition/projects/text-to-speech

41. Text-to-Speech client libraries - Google Cloud, accessed March 26, 2025, https://cloud.google.com/text-to-speech/docs/libraries
42. Read Aloud: A Text to Speech Voice Reader - Chrome Web Store, accessed March 26, 2025, https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/read-aloud-a-text-to-spee/hdhinadidafjejdhmfkjgnolgimiaplp
43. Google Text To Speech API Example: Get Started, accessed March 26, 2025, https://play.ht/blog/google-text-to-speech-api-example/
44. google/voice-builder: An opensource text-to-speech (TTS) voice building tool - GitHub, accessed March 26, 2025, https://github.com/google/voice-builder
45. mingalevme/illuminate-google: Provides Google API Library for PHP wrapper for Laravel/Lumen - GitHub, accessed March 26, 2025, https://github.com/mingalevme/illuminate-google
46. A Developer’s Guide to the Best Text to Speech AI APIs in 2025 - Weezevent, accessed March 26, 2025, https://my.weezevent.com/a-developers-guide-to-the-best-text-to-speech-ai-apis-in-2025
47. Eleven labs seem to be much faster than Open AI in text to speech (tts) - API, accessed March 26, 2025, https://community.openai.com/t/eleven-labs-seem-to-be-much-faster-than-open-ai-in-text-to-speech-tts/1052630
48. Unveiling Top Alternatives to OpenAI Text to Speech API - Murf AI, accessed March 26, 2025, https://murf.ai/resources/openai-text-to-speech/
49. OpenAI Text-to-Speech vs. Google Cloud Text-to-Speech [Compare Pricing & Features in 2025] - Unreal Speech, accessed March 26, 2025, https://unrealspeech.com/compare/openai-text-to-speech-vs-google-text-to-speech
50. Wordly AI Translation - #1 Meetings and Events Solution, accessed March 26, 2025, https://www.wordly.ai/
51. WhisperAPI: Affordable & Accurate AI Transcription Service - Deepgram, accessed March 26, 2025, https://deepgram.com/ai-apps/whisperapi
52. What is the Best AI Voice Agent Platform? Comparing Options - Speechify, accessed March 26, 2025, https://speechify.com/blog/what-is-the-best-ai-voice-agent-platform-comparing-options/

53. AI Voice Generator

    Advanced Text-to-Speech (TTS), accessed March 26, 2025, https://www.respeecher.com/

54. Can anyone recommend an AI audio survey tool? - Product Hunt, accessed March 26, 2025, https://www.producthunt.com/p/general/can-anyone-recommend-an-ai-audio-survey-tool
55. 20 Best AI Podcasts for AI Enthusiasts (+Recommended Episodes) - Userpilot, accessed March 26, 2025, https://userpilot.com/blog/ai-podcasts/
56. The 9 Best AI & Machine Learning Podcasts to Listen To - University of San Diego Online Degrees, accessed March 26, 2025, https://onlinedegrees.sandiego.edu/machine-learning-podcast/
57. The Artificial Intelligence Show - Apple Podcasts, accessed March 26, 2025, https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-artificial-intelligence-show/id1548733275
58. Turn Your Class Lessons into Engaging Podcasts with AI - Harvard Business Publishing, accessed March 26, 2025, https://hbsp.harvard.edu/inspiring-minds/turn-class-lessons-ai-podcasts-accessible-students

59. Everyday AI Podcast and AI Newsletter

    Helping everyday people use AI, accessed March 26, 2025, https://www.youreverydayai.com/

60. Text To Speech Market Size & Share, Statistics Report 2024-2032, accessed March 26, 2025, https://www.gminsights.com/industry-analysis/text-to-speech-market
61. Text-to-Speech Strategic Industry Report 2024 - Rising - GlobeNewswire, accessed March 26, 2025, https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2024/12/04/2991864/28124/en/Text-to-Speech-Strategic-Industry-Report-2024-Rising-Demand-for-AI-Powered-Voice-Solutions-Spurs-TTS-Adoption-A-US-9-3-Billion-Market-by-2030-Growing-at-a-CAGR-of-13-4-from-2023-to-2030-html

62. AI Voice Generator Market Size, Share and Global Forecast to 2030

    MarketsandMarkets, accessed March 26, 2025, https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/ai-voice-generator-market-144271159.html

63. Global Text-To-Speech Market Report 2025 - The Business Research Company, accessed March 26, 2025, https://www.thebusinessresearchcompany.com/report/text-to-speech-global-market-report
64. Gemini + Gemini Advanced on Pixel: Everything You Need to Know - Google Store, accessed March 26, 2025, https://store.google.com/intl/en/ideas/articles/gemini-advanced-features/
65. ‎Gemini Advanced - get access to Google’s most capable AI model, accessed March 26, 2025, https://gemini.google.com/u/0/advanced
66. Gemini Advanced - get access to Google’s most capable AI models with Gemini 2.0, accessed March 26, 2025, https://gemini.google/advanced/
67. Experience AI in our products and experimental tools - Google AI, accessed March 26, 2025, https://ai.google/get-started/products/
68. Gemini Advanced AI: Supercharge Your Work, Learning, and Creativity - NextGen Podcaster, accessed March 26, 2025, https://nextgenpodcaster.com/gemini-advanced-ai/
69. Dead Internet theory - Wikipedia, accessed March 26, 2025, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dead_Internet_theory

70. Google Illuminate: Books and papers turned into audio

    Hacker News, accessed March 26, 2025, https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41502510

71. Turn academic papers into AI-generated audio discussions - Michael Rowe, accessed March 26, 2025, https://www.mrowe.co.za/blog/2024/06/turn-academic-papers-into-ai-generated-audio-discussions/
72. Research Paper to Podcast Generator - Wondercraft AI, accessed March 26, 2025, https://www.wondercraft.ai/tools/research-paper-to-podcast-generator
73. AI Quick Tips 56: Turn academic papers into audio discussions - Thoughts Brewing, accessed March 26, 2025, https://thoughtsbrewing.com/blog/ai-quick-tips-56-turn-academic-papers-into-audio-discussions
74. NotebookLM now lets you listen to a conversation about your sources - Google Blog, accessed March 26, 2025, https://blog.google/technology/ai/notebooklm-audio-overviews/
75. AI Tools to Turn Text into Podcast Conversations - Practical Ecommerce, accessed March 26, 2025, https://www.practicalecommerce.com/ai-tools-to-turn-text-into-podcast-conversations
76. Can AI-generated podcasts boost science engagement? - Nature, accessed March 26, 2025, https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-03960-8
77. AI Powered Audio Studio - Wondercraft, accessed March 26, 2025, https://www.wondercraft.ai/
78. AI Voice Cloning - Revoice from Podcastle, accessed March 26, 2025, https://podcastle.ai/products/revoice
79. How to use NotebookLM, Google’s new AI audio generator - TechRadar, accessed March 26, 2025, https://www.techradar.com/computing/artificial-intelligence/google-s-new-ai-audio-generator-lets-you-make-a-stunningly-real-ai-podcast-without-a-mic-here-s-how-to-try-it
80. How to translate academic writing to podcasts using generative AI - Impact of Social Sciences, accessed March 26, 2025, https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/impactofsocialsciences/2024/06/10/how-to-translate-academic-writing-to-podcasts-using-generative-ai/
81. Illuminate: the AI tool that turns academic papers into audio podcasts - Chief AI Sharing Circle, accessed March 26, 2025, https://www.aisharenet.com/en/illuminate/
82. Google’s Illuminate AI turns research papers into podcasts - AboutCookies.org, accessed March 26, 2025, https://www.aboutcookies.org.uk/googles-illuminate-ai-turns-research-papers-into-podcasts-is-this-the-future-of-edtech

83. Illuminate

    Big Medium, accessed March 26, 2025, https://bigmedium.com/ideas/links/illuminate.html

84. Meet Illuminate: Google’s Experimental AI - VMVirtualMachine.com, accessed March 26, 2025, https://vmvirtualmachine.com/meet-illuminate-googles-experimental-ai-that-transforms-heavy-research-papers-into-quick-fun-audio-summaries/
85. Google Illuminate: Turn Complex Papers into Blogs with One Click - AIBase, accessed March 26, 2025, https://www.aibase.com/news/11646
86. Google’s New ‘Illuminate’ App Can Turn a Book Into a Podcast - Generative AI Pub, accessed March 26, 2025, https://www.generativeaipub.com/p/googles-new-illuminate-app-can-turn
87. Trying Out Google’s Illuminate AI: From Paper to Podcast, accessed March 26, 2025, https://yismailuofa.github.io/blog/trying_out_google_illuminate/

88. Compare OpenAI Whisper Speech-to-Text Alternatives

    Deepgram, accessed March 26, 2025, https://deepgram.com/compare/openai-vs-deepgram-alternative

89. The top free Speech-to-Text APIs, AI Models, and Open Source Engines - AssemblyAI, accessed March 26, 2025, https://www.assemblyai.com/blog/the-top-free-speech-to-text-apis-and-open-source-engines
90. Gladia - Top 5 Open-Source Speech-to-Text Models for Enterprises, accessed March 26, 2025, https://www.gladia.io/blog/best-open-source-speech-to-text-models
91. Looking for an OpenAI Text-to-Speech alternative? Try Unreal Speech, accessed March 26, 2025, https://unrealspeech.com/compare/openai-text-to-speech-alternative
92. OpenAI Whisper Alternatives For Developers - Listen Monster, accessed March 26, 2025, https://listenmonster.com/blog/whisper-alternatives/
93. OpenAI Whisper vs Google Speech To Text - Listen Monster, accessed March 26, 2025, https://listenmonster.com/blog/whisper-vs-google-speech-to-text/
94. Whisper vs Google Speech-to-Text: Choosing Between Voice-to-Text AI Solutions - Incora, accessed March 26, 2025, https://incora.software/insights/whisper-vs-google-speech-to-text
95. Comparing Google’s Chirp AI with OpenAI’s Whisper AI for Speech-to-Text - Toolify, accessed March 26, 2025, https://www.toolify.ai/ai-news/comparing-googles-chirp-ai-with-openais-whisper-ai-for-speechtotext-2752456