Generative AI-Powered Google Search Expands to Users in India

Google announced the launch of an India-adapted variant of its generative artificial intelligence (AI)-driven version of the primary Search product. This platform, known as Search Generative Experience (SGE), offers a chatbot-style interaction instead of the traditional search bar, fundamentally transforming the user experience. Available as a pilot to those who voluntarily opt-in, the India-specific SGE version enables searches in both English and Hindi. Additionally, it provides voice outputs for search results and accepts voice inputs for search queries.

The All New Generative AI-Powered Google Search

The introduction of SGE to India follows its global debut nearly four months ago. Elizabeth Reid, VP and GM of Search at Google unveiled this new iteration of Search in May, emphasizing the capabilities of generative AI. Puneesh Kumar, GM of Search for Google India, explained that the platform is available to users who willingly choose to explore the service. Kumar mentioned that Google intends to expand the pilot through its Google Labs program, adhering to existing privacy and data policies.

Kumar confirmed that SGE will continue incorporating advertisements, a crucial aspect of Google’s Search platform that significantly contributes to its overall revenue. Google’s foray into generative AI-driven conversational search aligns with Microsoft’s advancement in this field, with Bing deploying a version powered by OpenAI’s GPT-4. This development spurred Google to introduce its Performance Max—a generative AI platform for advertisers.

While it’s uncertain whether generative AI-powered ads will be integrated into the SGE platform launched on August 31, Kumar affirmed the intention to extend the pilot to more Indian languages in the future. Industry experts view Google’s AI search platform as a strategic move to capitalize on its generative AI efforts. Jaspreet Bindra, founder of Tech Whisperer, suggests that Google’s delay in deploying transformer models in its products was influenced by the potential impact on its substantial ad business. Running early pilots of the generative AI-powered search platform could align with Google’s objective of monetizing its generative AI advancements.