As widespread as AI is, localization remains an issue for most platforms, but steps are being taken to ensure that AI-powered solutions are available in languages that people speak, rather than just English.
In the case of Google, the big tech firm is adding support for South African languages, and in its latest announcement four local languages are now available on AI Overview and AI Mode – Afrikaans, Southern Sotho, Setswana and isiZulu.
Both platforms now support 13 sub-Saharan languages a recent update.
“This update builds on Google's ongoing investment in AI responsible for search following last year's global rollout of AI Overview and the introduction of AI Mode – a new way for people to explore topics in depth directly within Search,” Google said in a release to Hypertext.
“With AI Overview, users get a concise, AI-generated summary of their search, paired with trusted links for deeper exploration. AI Mode extends this by allowing them to continue the conversation through text, voice or image sharing, so they can receive more detailed, personalized responses.”
According to Google, the reason for this recent update is its insight Waxel Language Projectwhich is an initiative It combines machine learning, linguistic research, and community collaboration to improve the way AI tools understand and generate African languages.
“The expansion of AI Overview and AI Mode to additional languages widely spoken in sub-Saharan Africa marks the next phase of this work. It enables students, teachers, translators, entrepreneurs, and everyday users to move beyond hearing about AI and actively apply it to solve real challenges in their communities,” Google stressed.
The 13 languages that were selected were based on their strong and growing usage in Google searches across the African continent.
As such, the update ensures that the first wave of local language AI experiences reaches larger communities in countries such as Nigeria, Ethiopia, Kenya, South Africa, Ghana, Rwanda, Tanzania, Botswana, Senegal, and Somalia, Google reported.
If you want to change language preferences in AI overview and AI mode, use the following steps:
- Opening the Google app on your Android or iOS device (using the app or mobile browser),
- Tapping on AI mode in the search experience,
- Type or speak your question in your preferred African language.
The full list of currently supported languages is as follows:
- African (South Africa),
- Akan (Ghana),
- Amharic (Ethiopia),
- Hausa (Nigeria),
- Kinyarwanda (Rwanda),
- Afan Oromou (Ethiopia),
- Somali (Somalia, Kenya),
- Sesotho (Lesotho, South Africa),
- Kiswahili (Kenya, Tanzania),
- Tswana (Botswana, South Africa),
- Wolof (Senegal),
- Yoruba (Nigeria),
- isiZulu (South Africa).
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