Google rolls out generative AI in Search tool in India, first outside US

Google has announced that it has introduced generative AI (artificial intelligence) in its Search tool for users in India and Japan that will show text or visual results to typed or voice queries.

This week, we launched Search Labs in the first countries outside the U.S.–India and Japan — enabling people to opt into SGE (Search Generative Engine) to help them better understand topics faster, uncover new viewpoints and insights and get things done more easily, Google said in a statement.

“Like in the U.S., people in India and Japan will be able to use generative AI capabilities in their local languages, either by typing a query or using voice input,” according to a post on Google blog.

Unique to India, users will also find a language toggle to help multilingual speakers easily switch back and forth between English and Hindi. And Indian users can also listen to the responses, which is a popular preference. In both countries, Search ads will continue to appear in dedicated ad slots throughout the page, the statement added.

Google said that it has also added new capabilities, from bringing videos and images into responses to local information and travel recommendations. It will also become even easier to find web pages that support information in AI-powered overviews.