Google is expanding the reach of its AI-powered search experience, known as AI Mode, by making it available to Spanish-speaking users across the globe. The company announced the rollout on Tuesday, marking another major step in its effort to bring conversational AI to a broader audience.
A Global Rollout for Spanish-Speaking Communities
With this update, Spanish-speaking users will now be able to interact with Google Search in a more natural and intuitive way. AI Mode allows people to type or speak questions in everyday language, continue conversations with follow-up questions, and even upload images as part of their queries. The tool also supports exploring deeper answers to complex topics, offering an experience closer to chatting with an assistant than performing a traditional search.
This Spanish-language expansion follows Google’s larger rollout of AI Mode in August, when the feature was released to 180 new countries. Before that, it had only been available in the United States, United Kingdom, and India.
New Capabilities for AI Mode
During the August expansion, Google introduced advanced features to its premium AI Ultra subscribers. These users gained the ability to use AI Mode to make restaurant reservations, a step toward integrating practical, real-world tasks into the search experience. The company has already hinted that future updates will extend support to other types of reservations, including events and appointments.
By expanding AI Mode into Spanish, Google is ensuring that one of the world’s most widely spoken languages has access to its latest conversational technology. This move underscores the company’s broader strategy of rapidly scaling AI across its global user base.
Google’s Broader Push into AI
Tuesday’s announcement was one of several AI-related updates from Google. On the same day, the company revealed that conversational photo editing is becoming available to all Android users in the United States. Google also expanded its more affordable subscription tier, Google AI Plus, to 40 new countries.
The AI Plus plan, first introduced in Indonesia, provides a lower-cost alternative for users who want access to AI Mode without upgrading to the more advanced AI Ultra subscription. The timing of this expansion is notable, coming shortly after OpenAI launched its ChatGPT Go plan in India in August and extended it to Indonesia this week.
Competition with OpenAI
The competitive landscape between Google and OpenAI is intensifying as both companies push mid-tier subscription services designed to attract a larger audience. OpenAI’s ChatGPT Go plan sits between its free offering and the premium $20-per-month ChatGPT Plus plan.
ChatGPT Go provides users with higher usage limits, allowing up to ten times more questions or prompts compared to the free version. It also supports image generation, file uploads, and improved memory, enabling the system to recall past conversations for more personalized responses.
Google, meanwhile, is focusing on weaving its AI capabilities into its existing products, like Search and Android, making them accessible to hundreds of millions of users worldwide.
Expanding Language Support
Earlier this month, Google announced that AI Mode had gained support for additional languages, including Hindi, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, and Brazilian Portuguese. By adding Spanish to the list, Google is catering to an enormous community of native speakers, estimated to be over 500 million globally.
This multilingual approach highlights Google’s ambition to make AI Mode a truly global tool. It also reflects the company’s recognition that users engage with technology most naturally in their preferred language.
Clarifying AI Mode and AI Overviews
As Google continues to roll out multiple AI features at once, many users are finding it challenging to differentiate between them. Two of the most commonly confused offerings are AI Mode and AI Overviews.
AI Mode is a distinct, immersive experience where users can hold a conversational dialogue with Gemini AI, asking complex questions and receiving contextual, multi-turn answers. By contrast, AI Overviews provide a brief, AI-generated summary of information related to a search query, displayed at the top of Google’s traditional search results page.
While both features are powered by AI, the difference lies in depth. AI Mode is about interaction and exploration, while AI Overviews are designed for quick reference.
Looking Ahead
The launch of AI Mode in Spanish represents more than just a language update. It signals Google’s determination to embed AI into everyday search experiences for users around the world. As AI Mode continues to evolve with new capabilities like reservations, ticket purchases, and expanded language options, Google is positioning itself as a leader in making AI accessible at scale.
However, with OpenAI advancing its own subscription services, the competition in this space is only expected to grow. For users, this rivalry may prove beneficial, bringing more innovative and affordable AI features into their daily digital lives.
