Technology company Google has announced the expansion of language support for its Artificial Intelligence-powered search features to include Yorùbá and Hausa in Nigeria.
The company’s Communications and Public Affairs Manager for West Africa, Taiwo Kola-Ogunlade, disclosed this in a statement on Thursday, noting that the update allows speakers of the two Nigerian languages to access AI-powered search results in their native languages.
According to him, the development enables users to receive quick summaries and engage in conversational exploration of information online using either Yoruba or Hausa.
Kola-Ogunlade explained that the update is part of Google’s broader initiative to make Artificial Intelligence more inclusive across Africa. With the addition of the two languages, the number of African languages supported by the company’s AI search features has increased to 13.
He noted that the improvement will make it easier for more Nigerians to interact with search tools in languages they are most comfortable with while seeking information on the internet.
The Google official added that the update would allow a student in Kano to ask questions in Hausa and a trader in Ibadan to search for information or advice in Yoruba.
“Building a truly global search goes far beyond translation; it requires a deeper understanding of local information,” he said.
Kola-Ogunlade further explained that the development was made possible by the advanced multimodal and reasoning capabilities of Gemini integrated into Google Search.
He said the technology significantly improves the system’s ability to understand languages and provide locally relevant responses.
“This ensures that our most advanced AI search capabilities are meaningful and useful in each language we support,” he said, adding that the goal is to enable Nigerians to interact with search tools in their mother tongues and make information more accessible.
He also noted that users can ask complex questions using text or voice in their preferred language, allowing them to explore information on the web in a more natural and conversational way.
