Google Search Live Comes to India - AI Mode Expansion

Google Expands AI-Powered Search Capabilities in India

Google is introducing its innovative, AI-driven conversational search functionality, known as Search Live, to India. The rollout will initially support both English and Hindi languages, alongside an expansion of AI Mode to encompass seven additional Indian languages, strengthening the company’s foothold in a rapidly expanding market.

Introducing Search Live

Search Live, initially launched in the U.S. in July, is built upon Google’s Project Astra technology and is accessible through the AI Mode feature. This functionality empowers users to utilize their smartphone camera to identify objects and receive immediate assistance. It facilitates interactive conversations that leverage the visual information captured by the camera.

India now represents the second market globally, following the U.S., to receive Search Live. This strategic decision is driven by the country’s substantial and enthusiastic base of early AI adopters, who have significantly contributed to the growth of Google products like Gemini’s Nano Banana model.

Leveraging India’s AI Adoption

Google intends to capitalize on India’s proactive adoption of AI to refine its systems through exposure to a broader spectrum of visual scenarios. This will progressively enhance the capabilities and accuracy of Search Live over time.

Hema Budaraju, Vice President of Product Management for Search at Google, stated in a recent blog post that “Individuals in India are highly proficient in multimodal search, constituting our largest global user base for both voice and visual search.”

The rollout of Search Live in India commences today and will become available to a wider audience in the coming weeks. Users can access the feature by selecting the “Live” icon located beneath the search bar within the Google app, or by launching Lens and choosing “Live” from the bottom of the screen.

Gemini Powers Search Live

Earlier this year, Google disclosed that Search Live is powered by a specialized version of the Gemini model. The Gemini application itself features a similarly named function, Gemini Live, which was unveiled in May and delivers a comparable user experience. This similarity has the potential to cause confusion among some users.

Expanding AI Mode Language Support

Google has also broadened the availability of its AI Mode to include seven additional Indian languages: Bengali, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Tamil, Telugu, and Urdu. This expansion is part of a larger global initiative, extending AI Mode to over 35 new languages and 40 new countries and territories.

Consequently, the AI-enhanced search experience is now accessible in more than 200 countries and territories worldwide.

AI Mode Global Reach

Google’s AI Mode, which first debuted in the U.S. in March and saw wider U.S. availability in May, allows users to pose complex, multi-faceted questions through an AI-driven interface. It launched in India in June and expanded globally in August. Last month, five new languages – including Hindi, Indonesian, and Japanese – were added to the feature.

According to Budaraju, “The sophisticated reasoning and multimodal understanding of our custom Gemini model for Search enables AI Mode to truly comprehend the nuances of local languages, ensuring genuine helpfulness and relevance in all newly supported languages.”

Addressing Concerns About Search Traffic

Google’s AI Mode and other AI features, such as AI Overviews, have encountered some criticism regarding a potential reduction in search traffic directed towards online publishers. However, the company has refuted claims that its AI-driven search tools are negatively impacting website visits.