Google Expands AI Search Support to Hausa, Yorùbá
Google has expanded language support for its artificial intelligence-powered Search features, enabling users to access AI-driven experiences in Yorùbá and Hausa.
The company disclosed this in a statement on Thursday, noting that the update allows speakers of both Nigerian languages to interact with AI Search tools such as AI Overviews and AI Mode in their mother tongue.
According to Google, the move enables users to obtain quick summaries and engage in conversational exploration of web content using either text or voice commands in the supported languages.
The technology firm said the development forms part of a broader initiative aimed at making artificial intelligence more inclusive across Africa. With the latest update, Google’s AI Search features now support a total of 13 African languages.
Google explained that addressing language barriers is essential to ensuring technology reflects the identity and culture of the communities it serves.
“With this expansion, more people can now use AI Mode to ask complex questions in their preferred language, while exploring the web more deeply and naturally through text or voice,” the company stated.
It added that the update would make existing AI features more accessible to Nigerians, including students in Kano asking questions in Hausa and traders in Ibadan seeking advice in Yorùbá.
Commenting on the development, Communications and Public Affairs Manager, West Africa at Google, Taiwo Kola-Ogunlade, said the language support was introduced to ensure Nigerians can converse with Search in their native languages.
He noted that enabling people to interact with technology in their mother tongues makes information easier to access and more helpful.
Google listed the 13 African languages currently supported by its AI Search features as Afrikaans, Akan, Amharic, Hausa, Kinyarwanda, Afaan Oromoo, Somali, Sesotho, Kiswahili, Setswana, Wolof, Yorùbá and isiZulu.
The company said the languages were selected based on strong search activity across the continent, ensuring that AI-powered experiences reach communities that need them most.
The latest rollout forms part of Google’s broader efforts to deepen the use of AI tools in Nigeria. Recently, the company expanded access to its AI-powered image generation tools, allowing users to create high-quality visuals directly within Google Search and Google Lens by simply describing what they want to see.
The feature is powered by the company’s latest image model, Nano Banana 2, which enables users to generate professional visuals within seconds through the Google app or mobile browsers.
Google said the rollout is intended to democratise access to advanced AI tools for students, entrepreneurs, artists and everyday creators.
According to the company, the model is designed to be fast and context-aware, producing detailed images with improved realism and consistency based on user prompts.
Kola-Ogunlade noted that the technology could enable a small business owner to visualise a new storefront concept in Yaba directly from a smartphone or allow a storyteller to create a consistent character for a digital comic set in Lagos.
Meanwhile, a recent report developed by Google in partnership with Ipsos titled “Our Life with AI: Helpfulness in the Hands of More People” found that Nigeria is emerging as a global leader in the adoption of artificial intelligence across learning, work and entrepreneurship.
The report highlighted the growing enthusiasm among Nigerians for AI tools and their potential to drive innovation, productivity and self-employment in an increasingly digital economy.
