AI search summaries debut in new countries as Google updates feature

AI search summaries from Google are now available in local languages across Brazil, India, and other nations, with improved accuracy and added hyperlinks.
Google, under its parent company Alphabet, announced on Thursday that it is extending its AI-generated summaries for search queries, known as AI Overviews, to six new countries: Brazil, India, Indonesia, Japan, Mexico, and Britain.

Google is expanding its AI-generated search summaries, known as AI Overviews, to six new countries: Brazil, India, Indonesia, Japan, Mexico, and Britain. This follows a previous rollout in the US, which faced criticism for inaccuracies such as incorrect information and misleading content. The company has since refined the feature, adding restrictions to improve accuracy and reducing reliance on user-generated content from sites like Reddit.

The updated AI Overviews now include more hyperlinks to relevant websites, displayed alongside the AI-generated answers, with plans to integrate clickable links directly within the text. Google aims to balance user experience with publisher traffic, responding to concerns from the media industry about potential impacts on referral traffic.

Hema Budaraju, a senior director at Google, reported improved user satisfaction based on internal data, noting that users of the feature tend to engage more deeply with search queries. These updates come at a time when Google faces legal challenges and competition from AI advancements by rivals like Microsoft-backed OpenAI.