Google’s AI Summaries are now available in more than 100 countries
Google announced on Monday the expansion of AI Overviews to more than 100 countries. The feature, which provides a quick overview of the search query using artificial intelligence (AI), was previously limited to a few areas. However, the Mountain View-based tech giant is now pushing for a broader user base with this update. The company highlighted that this is the largest expansion of the feature since launch. Notably, a report last month claimed that AI Overviews started serving ads to some users at the bottom of the interface.
Google expands AI overviews to more than 100 countries
In one blog postthe tech giant has detailed its expansion move. AI Overviews was released to the public in May. However, it was available to beta testers in 2023 as the Search Generative Experience (SGE). At launch, Google changed the branding of the feature to introduce the new name.
Google said AI Summaries will be available in more than 100 countries starting this week and will be accessible in more languages than before. Previously the feature was only available in English, but now the feature also supports Hindi, Indonesian, Japanese, Portuguese and Spanish. This means that AI summaries are triggered even if no question is asked in the English language.
After the expansion, Google believes the feature will reach a user base of more than a billion worldwide. The feature has likely been expanded as the tech giant now plans to monetize it. Last month, several users started seeing ads at the bottom of the AI Overviews interface.
Google said ads will continue to appear in special slots with “clear labeling to distinguish between organic and sponsored results.” While the rest of the world will only see ads in the browser, the tech giant is now also introducing ads on mobile devices in the US. This is done “so we can better connect people to the products and brands that are useful for their searches,” the post said.
Notably, the tech giant recently introduced better transparency with AI Overviews. The feature now shows a clear link icon on the screen highlighting the source of the information. The company said that this way the source websites will also get more traffic.
