Browsing Meets AI: Google launches AI-powered search to India and Japan

Google is expanding its generative AI search experience, known as SGE (Search Generative Experience), beyond the United States to India and Japan. This feature will be accessible through Google’s Search Labs in these markets, offering users a more conversational and interactive search experience akin to chatting with an AI.

Initially introduced at Google’s I/O Developer conference earlier this year, SGE enables users to ask Google questions about specific topics and receive informative responses, resembling interactions with an AI chatbot. Over time, the feature has been enhanced to support various content types, such as videos, images, local information, travel recommendations, and even coding-related queries.

Google has also begun experimenting with integrating ads alongside AI-generated responses to capitalize on the additional space created by the AI chat experience.

For this global expansion, Google is customizing the SGE experience for the newly added regions. In Japan, users can utilize generative AI in their local language, while in India, SGE will support both English and Hindi, with a language toggle to facilitate switching between the two. Additionally, Google is introducing voice input, catering to the popularity of voice-based interactions in India.

In both India and Japan, search ads will continue to appear in designated ad slots on the search page.

Accompanying these launches, SGE is introducing a new feature designed to help users discover and visit web pages that provide the information underlying the AI-generated responses. This aims to provide users with a pathway to explore more context and details related to the information presented by the AI.

Google is introducing a new feature alongside its AI-powered search experience, SGE (Search Generative Experience), that allows users to access the source of the AI-generated information directly from the overview. This feature, represented by a new arrow icon, enables users to click on it and be directed to relevant web pages where they can obtain more detailed information about the answers to their queries.

Initially launching in the United States, this feature will subsequently roll out to India and Japan in the coming weeks.

Google observed that SGE has gained popularity among younger users, particularly those aged 18-24, who appreciate the conversational manner in which they can ask questions. Users are increasingly asking follow-up questions and framing their queries in more conversational and detailed sentences, a departure from traditional Google searches that typically involve entering keywords.

Google also stated that users found the integrated ads in SGE useful, although specific click-through rate data was not provided.

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