Google’s AI-powered search ‘SGE’ expands to India and Japan

Following the May launch in the US, Google is giving the Search Generative Experience (SGE) an international launch in India and Japan, while the company also shared early user research. As part of Search Lab’s Google Search Generative Experience (SGE) project, Google has been working to marry its new-found focus on generative AI with its existing expertise in search since mid-May.

Like in the US, SGE is rolling out via Search Labs opt-in. In India, it supports English and Hindi with a language toggle to quickly switch between them. There will also be support for voice input and verbal responses. The Search Generative Experience is also coming to Japan, with ads appearing in both countries. Google says it looks “forward to expanding to even more countries in the future.”

Google also claimed that “people are having a positive experience,” using SGE “for help with more complex queries and entirely new types of questions.” In fact, the company notes that SGE’s highest satisfaction scores came from 18-24 year olds, though did not offer data to back up those assertions.

Following the meteoric rise in popularity of generative AI systems with the release of ChatGPT last November, the technology’s luster is already beginning to fade as the seemingly inevitable misuse of its capabilities ramps up. The tech is already being used in online scams and has attracted the attention of both federal regulators and Congress itself, seeking to crack down on such shenanigans.