Google is taking another step toward globalizing its AI-powered search by adding support for five new languages: Hindi, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, and Brazilian Portuguese. Until now, the feature—called AI Mode—was only available in English.
The company announced the expansion on Monday, saying it will let more people ask nuanced, conversational questions in their native language while browsing. The move comes just weeks after AI Mode in English was extended to 180 new markets worldwide, building on earlier launches in the U.S., U.K., and India.
From Experiment to Global Rollout
AI Mode first appeared in March as a test for Google One AI Premium subscribers. It’s built on a customized version of Gemini 2.5, which combines multimodal processing and reasoning abilities to generate more sophisticated answers.
In August, Google layered in “agentic” features, allowing the system to handle restaurant bookings. The company says these capabilities will eventually extend to scheduling local services and purchasing event tickets, though for now they’re limited to U.S. users subscribed to the high-tier Google AI Ultra plan—priced at $249.99 per month.
A Shift in How Search Works
Right now, AI Mode sits in its own tab and can also be accessed via a button in the main search bar. But according to Google DeepMind’s Logan Kilpatrick, the company is considering making AI-driven results the default search experience in the near future.
That possibility signals a bigger shift: instead of sending users straight to websites, Google is increasingly answering questions itself. And that has publishers worried. Independent site owners and media outlets argue that AI responses reduce click-throughs, cutting into traffic and revenue.
Google disputes the claim. In a statement last month, the company said billions of clicks are still being directed to publishers every day and that AI search isn’t draining web traffic as critics suggest.
The Bigger Picture
For Google, the language expansion is part of a broader strategy: weaving AI more tightly into its core products while nudging search beyond traditional blue links. By adding new languages and pushing more agent-like features, the company is signaling that it sees AI not just as a side tool, but as the future of search itself.
