Google Introduces Generative AI Experience on Search for African Users, Other Regions

In August of this year, Google extended its AI-powered Search Generative Experience (SGE) to Japan and India after launching it in the US earlier in the year.

As of right now, Google is extending SGE to over 120 additional nations and regions, the massive search engine announced in a blog post on Wednesday. Along with a few other enhancements and additions that make the AI-powered search tool more engaging, SGE is now supported in four additional languages.

According to a blog post by Google, Search Labs and SGE in English will be available in more than 120 new nations and territories starting on Wednesday. These include Mexico, Brazil, South Korea, Indonesia, Nigeria, Kenya, and South Africa. Indonesian, Korean, Portuguese, and Spanish will now be supported by generative AI-powered search.

Available on the Google app for iOS and Android, Search Labs lets Google users test new tools on Search, including SGE. Users can activate the SGE tool by opening the Google app on their phones, tapping the Search Labs symbol in the upper left corner, and then enabling the tool on the subsequent page. Only Google Chrome desktop is now being used for the Search Labs and SGE rollout in the new countries; over the course of the next week, access to Google apps will be made available.

According to Google, SGE is also providing some new features, such as simpler follow-up questions, translation assistance powered by AI, and additional definitions for subjects like coding. Asking follow-up questions is now possible right from the search results page for users.

While researching a topic, individuals can also see the queries and search results they have already entered. Over the next few weeks, the follow-up update will be released in the US, initially in English.

A new enhancement to the translation feature will also highlight words in search phrases that may have more than one meaning. To obtain an exact translation, users can choose a specific meaning for the word in question. Google claims that this AI-powered translation feature will soon be available for English to Spanish translations in the US, with support for additional languages and countries to follow shortly.

Additionally, Google is growing the definitions tool it introduced in August. The interactive definitions function in AI overviews, which was first made available for subjects like physics, economics, or history, is being expanded to include new subjects like coding and health information. Beginning next month, this upgrade will also be accessible in the US initially in English.