Google has officially launched its AI-powered Search Live in India — its second market globally after the U.S.
Available in English and Hindi, the feature marks a big leap in how Indians interact with Google Search.
Alongside, Google’s AI Mode now supports seven new Indian languages, bringing the power of AI-driven search to millions more users across the country.
🤖 What Is Google Search Live?
First introduced in the U.S. earlier this year, Search Live is a conversational AI feature built on Google’s Project Astra technology.
Imagine pointing your phone camera at a restaurant, a gadget, or even a plant — and instantly getting answers while talking naturally to Google. That’s exactly what Search Live does.
It combines visual context with conversational AI, allowing real-time back-and-forth interaction using your camera feed.
Example: You can point your camera at a product and ask, “Is this good for oily skin?” and Google’s AI will answer contextually — not just based on text search, but what it actually sees.
Why India Is the Perfect Next Step
India is one of Google’s fastest-growing markets, with millions of users already using voice and visual search daily.
According to Hema Budaraja, VP of Product Management for Google Search:
“People in India are power users of multimodal search — forming our largest user base for both voice and visual search globally.”
This makes India the ideal market to train Google’s AI systems further, helping them understand a wider variety of visual and linguistic contexts.
🗣️ AI Mode Expands to 7 Indian Languages
Alongside Search Live, Google has also expanded AI Mode to include:
- Bengali
- Kannada
- Malayalam
- Marathi
- Tamil
- Telugu
- Urdu
This expansion brings AI Mode to over 200 countries and 35+ new languages, reinforcing Google’s goal of making AI search globally inclusive.
AI Mode, powered by Gemini’s custom reasoning model, can handle complex, multi-layered questions.
It helps users get summarized, contextual, and conversational answers instead of long lists of links.
📲 How to Access Search Live in India
Search Live is rolling out gradually in India starting this week.
Once available, users can:
- Open the Google App.
- Tap the “Live” icon under the search bar.
- Or, open Google Lens, then select “Live” from the bottom menu.
You can then point your phone camera at any object or scene to begin a live conversation with Google AI.
🧠 The Technology Behind It: Gemini-Powered AI
Google confirmed that Search Live is powered by a custom Gemini model, optimized for real-time multimodal reasoning.
While Gemini’s standalone app includes a similar feature called Gemini Live, the company clarified that the Search Live experience is focused within Google Search to maintain relevance.
⚖️ Controversies and Criticism
Despite the innovation, Google’s AI Mode and AI Overviews have faced criticism from publishers who claim it reduces website traffic.
Google maintains that AI summaries aim to enhance user experience, not replace organic search results — a balance the company continues to fine-tune as AI search evolves.
🚀 Why This Matters for India’s Digital Ecosystem
With this launch, Google is:
- Strengthening its AI ecosystem in India.
- Empowering users to interact in their native languages.
- Giving businesses new ways to appear in multimodal search results.
For marketers and SEO professionals, this signals a shift toward visual + conversational optimization — not just keyword-based SEO.
💡 Key Takeaways for Creators & SEO Experts
- Optimize for Visual Search — Ensure product images and brand visuals are clear, tagged, and contextually relevant.
- Use Conversational Content — Write FAQs and long-tail queries in a natural tone that aligns with AI responses.
- Support Regional Languages — Translate your web content to reach local audiences who will soon use AI Mode.
- Leverage Google Lens SEO — AI Mode and Search Live make Lens more central than ever.
- Experiment with Video & AR — AI-driven search will reward interactive, multimodal formats.
Google’s expansion of Search Live and AI Mode marks a turning point for Indian users and businesses alike.
By combining language diversity, visual AI, and real-time conversation, Google is reshaping how search works in India — making it more intuitive, local, and human.
Quote from Pranav Veerani:
“India isn’t just adapting to AI — it’s shaping it. The launch of Search Live in India shows how user behavior, creativity, and language diversity are driving the future of intelligent search.”
— Pranav Veerani, Founder of FSIDM
