Google expands generative AI experience in Search to India and Japan

Google is expanding the generative AI experience in Search to countries outside the U.S., making it accessible to more people. The capabilities will be available in Search Labs available in India and Japan.

The generative AI-powered Search experience (SGE) will help people better understand topics faster, uncover new viewpoints and insights and get things done more easily. People in both countries can utilize generative AI capabilities in their local languages, either by typing a query or using voice input.

In India, people will also find a language toggle to help multilingual speakers easily switch back and forth between English and Hindi. In addition, Indian users can also listen to the responses.

As always, Search ads will appear in dedicated ad slots throughout the page in both markets.

Google plans to expand the AI-powered Search experience to even more countries in the future.

"Now, even more people around the world can use generative AI in Search for everyday help, and we look forward to expanding to even more countries in the future," the tech giant said in a statement on Thursday.

In parallel, Google is rolling out a new feature that makes it even easier to find web pages that support information in AI-powered overviews. Starting today, people in the U.S. will see an arrow icon next to information in an AI-powered overview. Clicking on the arrow will show them the relevant web pages, where they can learn more about the queries. This feature will start rolling out to Japan and India over the coming weeks.

Google found in its research that people are having a positive experience with generative AI in Search. The highest satisfaction scores are among younger users (18-24 year olds), who enjoy being able to ask follow-up questions conversationally.

"In the few months since launching generative AI in Search, we’re finding in our research that people are having a positive experience, and are using SGE for help with more complex queries and entirely new types of questions," the company said.