Google is ramping up its efforts to innovate rapidly in India, aiming to redefine the search experience through advanced artificial intelligence (AI) technologies. India is an ideal place for rapid innovation as Google builds toward a new AI-driven digital future, where everything will be at users' fingertips—whether text, voice, gesture, or video, a senior Google Search executive said according to a Moneycontrol report.
Also Read: AI Is a Force for Good, Says New Google India MD: Report
Rapid Innovation in India
"Indian users are amazing adopters of technology and are at the cutting edge of using many of our innovations in compelling ways. This sets a high bar, especially when you consider the use of voice, images, and multilingual capabilities," said Hema Budaraju, Senior Director of Product Management for Search at Google, according to the report.
Google Lens
India leads globally in the use of Google Lens, the company's visual search tool, which has nearly doubled its usage over the past 18 months. Additionally, the percentage of Indian users conducting daily voice searches is almost twice the global average, the report noted.
"This is why I believe if we are able to bring the best of search and AI to everyone in India - where there are hundreds of millions of people, with different skill level, language contexts, and usage patterns, from users to businesses, publishers, and creators - I think the future is so strong," Budaraju was quoted as saying.
Google AI Overviews
On October 3, Google announced plans to extend its AI-powered search feature, AI Overviews, to four Indian languages—Tamil, Telugu, Bengali, and Marathi—over the coming weeks. This follows the feature's launch in English and Hindi in August, which provides users with AI-generated summaries of topics, along with links for further exploration at the top of search results.
In their testing, Google found that Indian users listen to AI Overviews more often than those in other countries, Budaraju noted.
Also Read: OpenAI’s Content Partnerships with Media So Far in 2024
Voice Interaction
With over 40 percent of users in India relying on voice interactions, Google is also preparing to launch its AI voice chat feature, Gemini Live, in Hindi, with support for eight additional languages—Bengali, Gujarati, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Telugu, Tamil, and Urdu—expected soon.
To further enhance user experience, Google is experimenting with a new capability that allows users to search by capturing video and posing complex questions about moving objects. This is part of Google's broader strategy to reimagine its flagship search product amid growing competition from rivals like Microsoft and OpenAI.
Search is evolving
"Search is not a solved problem, since it is constantly evolving due to technological advancements and changing user expectations. Some 15 percent of the billions of searches done by users on Google on a daily basis are new, never seen before queries," Budaraju said, according to the report.
"Not only are queries changing, but the types of things people want to do are also evolving in various ways. AI Overviews is the first step towards "rethinking the whole page in how you can have explorations and discovery customised just for you," she explained. Some potential examples include planning meals and trips based on personal preferences.
Publisher Concerns
Despite the potential benefits, the introduction of AI Overviews has raised concerns among web publishers about a potential decline in traffic and revenue. Research firm Gartner predicts that traffic from search engines to websites may fall by 25 percent by 2026, the report mentioned.
Budaraju emphasised that they are "thoughtful and intentional" in ensuring that AI Overviews are helpful to consumers.
"AI Overviews show up on search results pages when we believe that they add additional value to what already exists on the page. We also make sure we have confidence in the quality of the AI overviews," she said.
Also Read: Accenture and Its Growing Network of Partners for AI Driven Solutions
Cultural Nuances
Reportedly, as AI Overviews expand to more Indian languages, Google is committed to addressing the unique cultural and linguistic nuances of the region. Google aims to scale AI Overviews to over a billion users by the end of the year.
