Google Adds Generative AI To Search In Nigeria

Google has introduced its Search Generative Experience in Nigeria and other Sub-Saharan African countries as an opt-in experiment in Search Labs.

The feature, which was announced on Wednesday, is an AI-powered experience available in English. The firm, at a media roundtable, said that with breakthroughs in generative AI, it is reimagining what a search engine can do and is bringing new capabilities to search boldly and responsibly.

It stated its new technology can unlock entirely new types of questions that search could not previously answer and transforms the way information is organised in the app to help people sort through and make sense of what is out there.

It declared, “With SGE’s generative AI capabilities in Search, people will see an AI-powered overview of key information to consider, with links to dig deeper. For anyone who has ever been overwhelmed by the amount of information online, this will help find answers more quickly.

“For instance, with a question like ‘Does Honey ever Spoil?’ Normally, you might break this question down into smaller ones, sort through the vast amount of information available, and then start to piece things together yourself. With generative AI, Search can do some of that heavy lifting.

“SGE first delivers an overview, and beneath this, users will see suggested next steps where they can simply tap a query like “What is the oldest honey ever eaten?”, or type in a specific follow-up question. This conversational experience enables people to intuitively learn more about the topic they’re exploring.”

Google further said that context will be available for individual questions, to help people continue their exploration.

It maintained that it has designed these new experiences to highlight and drive attention to content on the web, making it easy for people to dive deeper into any topic they are researching or what to learn about. It stated that as generative AI makes its way into Search, it is committed to continue sending valuable traffic to sites across the web.