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.

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Google has expanded access to its latest artificial intelligence image generation tools in Nigeria, enabling users to create high-quality visuals directly within Google Search and Google Lens by simply describing what they want to see.

The new feature, powered by Google’s newest image model, Nano Banana 2, allows Nigerians to generate professional-grade images in seconds using the Google App or a mobile browser. The company disclosed this in a statement released on Friday, noting that the rollout forms part of its broader efforts to democratise access to advanced AI tools for students, entrepreneurs, artists and everyday creators.

According to Google, the Nano Banana 2 model is designed to be fast and context-aware, producing detailed images that accurately reflect user prompts with improved realism and consistency.

“We want to make sure the best technology is accessible to everyone. Nigerians are some of the most creative people in the world, and today we’re expanding these tools to give them a new way to express that,” said Taiwo Kola Ogunlade, Communications and PR Manager, West Africa at Google.

Kola Ogunlade explained that the tool could enable a small business owner to visualise a new storefront concept in Yaba directly from a smartphone, while a storyteller could develop a consistent character for a digital comic set in Lagos within seconds.

“You don’t need to be a tech expert to use thi,  you can simply open the Google App and describe what you want to see,” he added.

Google noted that this marks the first AI image tool integrated with Google Search to enhance real-world accuracy. By drawing on Search data, the system can generate more realistic depictions of well-known landmarks, brands and objects, reducing inconsistencies often associated with AI-generated visuals.

The tool also supports consistent character rendering across multiple images, a feature expected to benefit digital artists, illustrators and content creators working on comics, animations or branded materials. Users can maintain the same character appearance across different scenes, improving continuity in visual storytelling.

Additionally, the model enables the insertion of clear and readable text within images, allowing users to design flyers, greeting cards and social media creatives with professional-level finishing.

To promote responsible use, Google said every AI-generated image will include an invisible digital watermark known as SynthID, alongside embedded metadata based on the C2PA standard. The digital fingerprint identifies the content as AI-generated.

The rollout of Nano Banana 2 is the latest step in Google’s push to expand access to its AI tools globally.

In a related development last year, Google launched a global beta rollout of AI Max for Search Campaigns, an AI-powered upgrade to its Search Ads platform aimed at helping businesses gain a smarter edge in the digital marketplace.

AI Max uses artificial intelligence to help businesses appear in more relevant search results, enabling them to connect more effectively with potential customers, even when those customers use unconventional or non-traditional search terms.

Google said the innovation could be a game-changer for African entrepreneurs seeking to reach online audiences in an increasingly competitive and fast-evolving digital environment.

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TECHDIGEST – In support of the upcoming 2023 Presidential elections, Google unveiled a new portal, the Nigeria Elections Trends Hub, that will provide a platform for Nigerians to search and discover trending interests related to the presidential and vice presidential candidates, parties, and issues through the lens of Google Trends.

The page, which can be accessed on the Google Trends website https://goo.gle/NigeriaElectionTrends, allows users to compare the search popularity of the presidential candidates and trending questions being asked about them. The portal features maps and graphs displaying the search interest for the candidates over a period of 30 days.

This is a part of a broader initiative by Google to support the 2023 elections, which also includes trainings for new and media publishers on how to effectively use YouTube to tell election stories and training from the Google News Lab to help journalists learn how to use search and other Google tools for better storytelling, including data visualisation, verification and fact-checking.

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As Nigeria celebrates 24 years of Democracy in the upcoming elections, Google’s mission to organise and make the world’s information universally accessible and useful is more relevant than ever.

“We want Nigerians to be empowered with information during the upcoming elections, so we’re organising information to make it easy for voters to learn more about the candidates through the eyes of Google Trends,” said Taiwo Kola-Ogunlade, Communications and Public Affairs Manager for West Africa. “More accessible and useful political information improves the political process and leads to greater citizen participation.”

The Google Nigeria Elections Trends Hub will help voters make more informed decisions at the polls, and have a greater voice in the political process.

“We’re empowering voters so that they are not simply watching from afar, but participating, engaging with and shaping the political process in a democratic way,” added Kola-Ogunlade.

Google said it is committed to making search useful for Nigerians, and the Nigeria Elections Trends Hub is one of many initiatives that we are undertaking to support the 2023 elections, including training for new and media publishers and support for journalists, to help them tell more engaging stories.

Source: Techeconomy.ng

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