Google’s Search Live comes to India, AI Mode gets more languages

In a significant move, Google is launching its AI-driven conversational search feature, Search Live, in India, available in both English and Hindi. This expansion also sees the introduction of AI Mode in seven additional Indian languages, reinforcing Google’s commitment to one of its most rapidly growing markets. Originally unveiled in the United States in July, Search Live is built on Google’s advanced Project Astra technology. This innovative feature allows users to utilize their phone's camera to gather real-time information and assistance, facilitating interactive conversations that leverage visual context from the camera feed. With this rollout, India becomes the second nation after the U.S. to access Search Live, a strategic decision given the country's large population of early AI adopters. These users have played a crucial role in Google's successes with products like the Gemini Nano Banana model. Google plans to harness this early adoption to enhance the training of its systems on a broader spectrum of visual contexts, thereby improving the capabilities of Search Live over time. Hema Budaraja, Google's vice president of product management for Search, noted, "People in India are power users of multimodal search, forming our largest user base for both voice and visual search globally." The feature is beginning to roll out to users in India today, with wider availability expected in the coming weeks. Users can access Search Live by tapping the 'Live' icon beneath the search bar in the Google app or by selecting 'Live' from the Lens interface. Earlier this year, Google disclosed that Search Live is powered by a tailored version of its Gemini technology. There is also a similarly named feature called Gemini Live within the Gemini app, which was launched in May, potentially causing some confusion among users. In addition to the launch of Search Live, Google is expanding its AI Mode to include seven new Indian languages: Bengali, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Tamil, Telugu, and Urdu. This expansion is part of a broader initiative that will see AI Mode available in over 35 new languages across 40 countries and territories, ultimately making this AI-enhanced search experience available in more than 200 regions worldwide. Since its debut in the U.S. in March, AI Mode enables users to pose intricate, multi-part questions through an AI interface. After launching in India in June, it became globally accessible in August. Last month, Google added five new languages, including Hindi, Indonesian, and Japanese, to the feature. Budaraja emphasized the advanced reasoning capabilities of the custom Gemini model, stating that it ensures AI Mode comprehends the nuances of local languages, making it genuinely useful and relevant in all newly introduced languages. Despite facing criticism regarding its AI features potentially diminishing traffic to online publishers, Google has refuted claims that its AI-powered search tools negatively impact website visits.