Google just launched its most advanced AI search experience in five new languages, bringing AI Mode to billions of users speaking Hindi, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, and Brazilian Portuguese. The expansion leverages Google's custom Gemini 2.5 model to deliver locally relevant search results that go far beyond simple translation, marking the company's most aggressive push yet to democratize AI-powered search globally.
Google is making its biggest international AI push yet, launching AI Mode in five new languages that collectively serve billions of users worldwide. The search giant announced today that its most powerful AI search experience is now available in Hindi, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, and Brazilian Portuguese, dramatically expanding access to advanced AI-powered search beyond English-speaking markets.
The timing couldn't be more strategic. As OpenAI and Microsoft race to capture global search market share with their own AI tools, Google is leveraging its decades of search dominance to roll out locally optimized AI experiences. "Building a truly global Search goes far beyond translation," explains Hema Budaraju, Vice President of Product Management for Search at Google, in the official announcement. "It requires a nuanced understanding of local information."
The technical foundation driving this expansion is Google's custom version of Gemini 2.5, specifically tuned for search applications. Unlike generic language models that simply translate queries and responses, this implementation incorporates what Google calls "advanced multimodal and reasoning capabilities" designed to understand cultural context, local references, and region-specific information needs. The company has been quietly training these models on vast datasets of local content, search patterns, and cultural nuances specific to each target market.
This represents a significant competitive moat against rivals. While ChatGPT and Microsoft's Copilot offer multilingual capabilities, they typically rely on translation layers rather than native language understanding. Google's approach involves training separate model variants that comprehend local idioms, cultural references, and market-specific information architecture. For instance, the Hindi version understands Bollywood references and Indian festival contexts, while the Japanese variant processes kanji characters and cultural concepts that don't translate directly.
The market impact is immediate and substantial. India alone represents over 600 million internet users, with Hindi being the primary language for roughly 40% of the population. Indonesia's 270 million residents make it the world's fourth-largest country by population, while Brazil's Portuguese-speaking market exceeds 215 million users. Japan and Korea represent two of the world's most tech-savvy consumer bases, with high smartphone penetration and sophisticated search behaviors.
