Google Expands AI Search Summaries to Six New Countries

Google is expanding its AI-generated search summaries to six new countries, following a limited rollout in the US earlier this year. The feature, called AI Overviews, will now be available in Brazil, India, Indonesia, Japan, Mexico, and Britain, with support for local languages like Hindi and Portuguese.^[1]  

AI Overviews provide short summaries at the top of search results, ahead of traditional links. After some initial issues with inaccurate information, Google made updates to improve the feature. The company has added restrictions on which queries generate AI summaries and reduced the use of user-generated content from sites like Reddit.

These changes come amid concerns from the media industry about potential reductions in referral traffic. Google noted that the updates aim to support consumers, publishers, and the company.

Earlier, Google introduced its latest Pixel smartphones, integrating advanced AI technology into its hardware. The updates include exclusive Pixel features, such as an AI-powered screenshot search tool and a new overlay for Google’s chatbot, Gemini, enabling content generation and questions while using other apps.

Recently, a US District Judge Amit Mehta ruled that Google’s dominance in the internet search market constitutes an illegal monopoly.

Judge Mehta's ruling comes nearly a year after the start of a high-profile antitrust trial between the US Justice Department and Google. The ruling follows a detailed examination of evidence, including testimony from top executives at Google, Microsoft, and Apple during the 10-week trial.

In his 277-page decision, Mehta concluded that Google is a monopolist and has acted to maintain its monopoly, citing its 89.2% share of the general search market, which rises to 94.9% on mobile devices. The decision represents a major setback for Google and its parent company, Alphabet Inc., which has argued that its search engine's popularity is due to its superior quality and consumer preference.