Google has announced the expansion of its AI-powered search feature, AI Mode, to five new languages—Hindi, Japanese, Korean, Indonesian, and Brazilian Portuguese. The move signals the tech giant’s ambition to make artificial intelligence-driven search more inclusive and culturally relevant to billions of users outside the English-speaking world.
Launched earlier this year in English, AI Mode has quickly rolled out to over 180 countries. Until now, it remained limited in scope, catering only to English queries. With the latest update, users across Asia and Latin America can engage Google’s Gemini 2.5-powered search in their native languages, asking complex, context-aware questions without relying on translation tools.
The company describes AI Mode as more than just search—it is designed to “reason” with queries, combine multiple sources, and provide deeper insights. For non-English users, this marks a significant shift away from search experiences that often felt like afterthoughts compared to the English internet.
Why Language Matters in AI
Google has stressed that this expansion goes beyond translation. According to its executives, effective AI interaction requires cultural nuance and contextual understanding, not just converting words from one language to another. By embedding language models trained on regional patterns, AI Mode aims to deliver results that reflect local relevance.
This approach could redefine how people use search engines in countries with large non-English-speaking populations. For instance, a student in India researching renewable energy policies in Hindi or a Brazilian entrepreneur seeking AI regulations in Portuguese can now expect tailored, detailed results.
Impact on Users and Markets
For everyday users, the update means greater accessibility and a more natural digital experience. For Google, it represents a chance to consolidate its dominance in non-English-speaking markets, especially as rivals like Baidu and emerging regional players push their own AI solutions.
The inclusion of Hindi, Japanese, and Korean is especially significant, as these countries are home to some of the world’s fastest-growing digital economies. In Indonesia and Brazil, expanding access could fuel wider adoption of AI-enabled services, boosting e-commerce, education, and local innovation.
Content creators and publishers also stand to benefit. As AI Mode expands its language base, there will be increased demand for high-quality, locally produced digital content, creating new opportunities in regional tech ecosystems.
Why it Matters
The expansion of AI Mode underscores the role of language in shaping the future of artificial intelligence. It highlights a broader push by tech firms to reach audiences who have long been underserved by English-centric technology. However, it also raises questions about whose cultural frameworks dominate AI development and what languages remain excluded.
Observers expect Google to continue adding more languages in the coming months. African and indigenous languages, however, remain absent, leaving gaps in global inclusion. Whether Google addresses these gaps could determine how equitably AI’s benefits are distributed worldwide.
For now, the expansion marks a milestone in multilingual AI accessibility, suggesting that the future of search will be as diverse as the voices that use it.
Talking Points
While Google celebrates its leap into Hindi, Japanese, Korean, Indonesian, and Brazilian Portuguese, African languages remain conspicuously absent. This is not just an oversight—it reflects a digital colonialism where Africa is often the last to be considered in global tech rollouts. If Swahili, Yoruba, or Hausa are not prioritized now, when will they ever be?
Adding languages isn’t just about inclusion—it’s about market capture. By embedding itself in non-English languages, Google is ensuring loyalty in massive emerging markets.Â
If Africa does not demand similar representation, we risk being locked out of AI-driven information economies and reduced to passive consumers of English-first narratives.
Google’s AI Mode is more than a search tool—it is a filter of reality. With Gemini 2.5 shaping what billions of people see and how they interpret knowledge, do we really want a single American company deciding the informational diet of the world? The lack of competition in AI search should alarm policymakers everywhere.
If African students, entrepreneurs, and policymakers cannot query the internet in their own languages, our economies will remain dependent on English-speaking elites. This risks creating a two-tier digital economy: one for those with access to AI in their native tongue, and another where Africa continues to “translate” itself into relevance.
