By Nworisa Michael
Google has expanded language support for its Artificial Intelligence (AI) powered search features to include Yorùbá and Hausa, enabling more Nigerians to interact with its search tools using their native languages.
The development was disclosed in a statement issued on Thursday by Taiwo Kola-Ogunlade, Communications and Public Affairs Manager for West Africa at Google.
According to him, the update allows speakers of the two Nigerian languages to access AI-powered search experiences in their mother tongues, enabling users to receive quick summaries and explore information through conversational interactions.
Kola-Ogunlade explained that the expansion forms part of the company’s broader effort to make Artificial Intelligence tools more inclusive and accessible across the African continent.
He noted that with the addition of Yorùbá and Hausa, the number of African languages currently supported by Google’s AI search features has increased to 13.
The Google official further stated that the update would allow more Nigerians to engage with search in familiar languages while seeking information online.
He explained that the new feature makes it possible for users across different regions of the country to interact naturally with the platform.
For instance, a student in Kano can now ask questions in Hausa, while a trader in Ibadan may seek information or advice in Yorùbá.
Kola-Ogunlade emphasized that building a truly global search system goes beyond direct translation, stressing that it requires a deeper understanding of local information contexts and cultural nuances.
“Building a truly global search goes far beyond translation; it requires a nuanced understanding of local information,” he said.
He added that Google has made significant progress in language understanding through the advanced multimodal and reasoning capabilities of its custom version of Gemini integrated into search.
According to him, the technology ensures that the company’s most advanced AI search capabilities remain locally relevant and useful in each language where they are introduced.
“This ensures our most advanced AI search capabilities are locally relevant and useful in each new language we support.
“This is about ensuring Nigerians can converse with search in their mother tongues, making information more helpful for everyone,” he said.
Kola-Ogunlade further stated that the expansion would enable users to ask complex questions through text or voice in their preferred language while navigating the web in a more natural and conversational way.
