Google Expands Generative AI Search to India and Japan

Google is expanding its generative AI search experience to India and Japan, the company announced today. The new AI-powered search feature, also known as SGE (Search Generative Experience), will become available through Google's Search Labs in those markets, and will introduce a new feature aimed at making it easier to find information in its AI-powered overviews.

SGE was first announced at Google I/O in May 2023. It introduces a conversational mode to Google Search where you can ask Google questions about a topic and then have it return answers, similar to an AI chatbot. The company has since updated the experience with support for videos and images, local info and travel recommendations, as well as new tools to provide summaries, definitions, and more help with coding-related queries.

With the expansion to India and Japan, SGE is being customized for the local markets. In Japan, users will be able to use generative AI in their local language, while in India it will support both English and Hindi with a language toggle. It's also adding voice input in India, so users can speak queries instead of typing them.

In addition to the localized features, SGE is also introducing a new feature that makes it easier to find the web pages that back up the information that's offered in the AI's responses. Starting today, users will see a new arrow icon next to information in an AI-powered overview that they can click to see the relevant web pages. This lets them visit the source of the AI's information directly where they can learn more about the answer to their questions.

Google said that SGE has been popular with younger users, with the highest satisfaction scores among those ages 18-24. The company also said that people are finding the integrated ads useful, but didn't provide data on click-through rates.

To access SGE, you can find it in the Search Labs section of the Google app on Android and iOS and on Chrome on the desktop.