Google Expands AI Summaries in Search to Six New Countries

Google’s parent company, Alphabet, announced on Thursday the expansion of AI-generated summaries for search queries to six additional countries. This change comes just two months after the company scaled back certain capabilities due to issues experienced during the launch.

The AI Overviews feature, which appears at the top of the search results page before traditional links, became available to all U.S. users in May. This rollout followed a year-long trial of a limited version. Despite the improvement, the feature faced criticism after online screenshots highlighted factually incorrect answers. Notable examples included a pizza recipe that bizarrely listed glue as an ingredient. Another incorrect claim stated that former U.S. President Barack Obama is Muslim.

In response to the backlash regarding these "odd and erroneous overviews," Google acknowledged the issues and revealed updates in a blog post in late May. The updates imposed limits on the types of queries that could generate AI answers. They also restricted content sourced from platforms like Reddit to improve accuracy.

Hema Budaraju, a senior director of product at Google, conveyed confidence in the product's quality during a Wednesday interview with Reuters. She referenced internal data indicating that users with access to AI Overviews reported higher satisfaction levels. Furthermore, these users tended to engage with longer, more specific search queries compared to those without access.

Now, AI Overviews launch in Brazil, India, Indonesia, Japan, Mexico, and Britain, providing local language support such as Portuguese and Hindi. Additionally, Google plans to include more hyperlinks within the summaries. Relevant websites will be displayed beside the AI-generated answers for user convenience.

Moreover, another internal test is underway to provide links directly within the text of the overview. This initiative aims to "prioritize approaches that drive traffic to relevant websites," as stated in a blog post released on Thursday.

These updates arrive as the media industry continues its concerns regarding the potential impacts of AI-generated search features. There is a longstanding worry that such tools could redirect referral traffic away from media companies. Budaraju highlighted that the new update could foster benefits for Google, users, and publishers alike.

Earlier SSP reported that Instagram is testing vertical grids to align with current trends.