Google’s AI overview expands to more countries, regions

As of October 28, users in more than 100 countries and territories can access AI Overview, Google’s explainable, generative widget that appears above some search engine results.

The tech giant first launched the feature in the US before gradually expanding it to additional regions. with its latest expansionAI Overview is now accessible in Canada, Africa, the Asia-Pacific region, Europe, the Middle East, Colombia, Chile, and many other locations.

“With AI overviews in Search, it’s easier than ever for people to find the information they need and discover relevant sites across the web, which opens up more opportunities to connect with publishers, businesses, and creators,” Search Google VP of Quality Srinivasan wrote (Cheenu) Venkatachari in A Press release,

AI observation continues worldwide expansion in search

When AI Overview launched in May, it was initially only available to users in the US. By August, access was expanded to include the United Kingdom, India, Japan, Indonesia, Mexico, and Brazil.

Then, in October, Google added to AI Overview’s language offering: It can now analyze and answer questions:

• English
• Hindi
• Indonesian
• Japani
• Portuguese
• Spanish

As Google notes, language is not tied to any geographic location. Google will now be able to accurately claim that 1 billion global users use its AI products, as AI overviews appear in search by default.

SEE: Google Chrome: Security and UI tips you need to know (TechRepublic Premium)

Competitors and risks of AI in search

AI-generated answers to search engine queries have been a hot topic since generative AI became mainstream. Microsoft added its Copilot chatbot to Bing Search. Perplexity AI created a conversational, AI-first search bot that pulls information from Google and Bing. Arc Browser provides AI-generated blurbs to answer questions in Arc Search.

However, AI-powered search engines demonstrate the weaknesses of generative AI in an environment where accurate information is paramount. Google AI observations made infamously useless or dangerous answers When it was first launched. Generative AI search functions sometimes struggle to accurately distinguish between current events and past events or answer relatively unusual queries.

I’ve found that Google AI Overview answers “how” or “what” questions even if I type a “why” question. This can sometimes feel like a buffer between my initial question and the answer Google provides at a glance. AI overviews may sacrifice context and authority, leading users to alternative search engines or forums like Reddit.

According to Venkatacharya, “The feedback we have received for AI Overview has been overwhelmingly positive.” “People love using search with AI overviews, and they find their search results more useful.”

AI observation has been controversial media publisherThose who worry that this will take views away from websites. In response, Google has added source links to the right side of the panel, making it easier for users to click on the original sources of information. In October, Google added in-line links for similar reasons.

“In our testing, these updates have increased traffic to supporting websites compared to previous designs,” Venkatachari wrote.

While it’s uncertain whether AI observations will stick around long-term, Google’s extended rollout suggests a strong current commitment to the feature.