Google Expands AI Search Features to Support Yorùbá and Hausa

Google has rolled out expanded language support for its AI-powered search features, AI Overviews and AI Mode, adding Yorùbá and Hausa to the list of languages now available to users across Africa. The update allows speakers of both Nigerian languages to interact with Google’s AI-driven search experience in their mother tongue making it easier to ask questions, receive quick summaries, and explore information conversationally.

The move is part of Google’s broader push to make artificial intelligence more inclusive and accessible across the continent. With this update, a total of 13 African languages are now supported across Google’s AI search ecosystem.

For Nigerian users, the change signals a shift toward a more locally responsive internet experience. A student in Kano can now ask a research question in Hausa and receive AI-generated insights in the same language, while a trader in Ibadan searching for business advice can do so in Yorùbá. By reducing language barriers in digital spaces, the update brings a wider range of users into the rapidly evolving world of AI-assisted search.

“Building a truly global Search goes far beyond translation — it requires a nuanced understanding of local information,” said Taiwo Kola-Ogunlade, Communications and Public Affairs Manager for West Africa at Google.

“With the advanced multimodal and reasoning capabilities of our custom version of Gemini in Search, we’ve made huge strides in language understanding, so 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.”

Across Africa, the 13 languages currently supported include Afrikaans, Akan, Amharic, Hausa, Kinyarwanda, Afaan Oromoo, Somali, Sesotho, Kiswahili, Setswana, Wolof, Yorùbá, and isiZulu. According to Google, these languages were selected based on search activity and community engagement across the continent, ensuring AI tools reach the audiences that use them most.

The update also reflects a growing recognition within the tech industry that language access is central to digital participation. As AI tools become more embedded in everyday life — from research and learning to commerce and communication — support for indigenous languages is increasingly seen as essential rather than optional.

Users can access the new language support by opening the Google app on Android or iOS, or through the web version of Google Search. Within the search interface, selecting AI Mode allows users to type or speak questions in their preferred language — including Hausa or Yorùbá — and receive AI-generated responses and summaries.

For millions of Nigerians who navigate the internet daily in local languages, the update marks a small but significant step toward a more culturally reflective digital ecosystem, one where technology adapts to people, rather than the other way around.