Google AI Mode to soon be available across MENA
Google expands AI Mode to mobile users in 180 countries including MENA
#MENA #apps - US search giant Google is launching AI Mode in 180 countries, including most of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, delivering its most advanced AI-powered search experience yet to Android and iOS users. The new feature uses a custom version of Google’s Gemini 2.5 model to provide advanced reasoning, multimodality, and deeper query exploration through follow-up questions and relevant web content links. The new AI Mode will be available to mobile users via a dedicated tab on search results and within Google Android and iOS applications. AI Mode will be made available in English with additional language support planned for future rollouts
SO WHAT? - Google product rollouts have not always favoured the MENA region, so the fact that AI Mode will be available across the region in a similar timeframe to Asia and Canada is significant, although only in English language. Notably, the new AI feature will not be made available in key European markets such as France, Germany and Italy. Google plans to make AI Mode available from Morocco to Oman, including underserved markets such as Libya, Palestine and Iraq.
Here are some key points about the Google AI Mode roll-out:
Google is rolling out AI Mode in 180 countries, including most of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, delivering its most advanced AI-powered search experience yet to Android and iOS users.
AI Mode handles exploratory and multi-layered searches including product comparisons, trip planning, and complex how-to questions, with early adopters submitting queries two to three times longer than traditional search inputs.
The feature employs query fan-out technology that breaks down complex questions into subtopics and executes multiple simultaneous searches, enabling deeper web exploration and more relevant, diverse content discovery.
Availability will expand across the region over coming days through dedicated search results tabs and mobile applications for both Android and iOS platforms, with initial English-language support.
The custom Gemini 2.5 model integration provides multimodal capabilities, allowing users to process text, images, and other content types within single search experiences for comprehensive information gathering.
Advanced reasoning capabilities enable the AI system to understand context, follow logical connections between concepts, and provide sophisticated analysis rather than simple keyword-based results matching.
Follow-up question functionality allows users to dive deeper into topics without starting new searches, creating conversational search experiences that build upon previous queries and maintain context.
No timeframe has been given for AI Mode in additional languages such as Arabic.
ZOOM OUT - Meta's introduced Meta AI across MENA markets in 2024, with the social media giant introducing Arabic-language support for its intelligent assistant in Algeria, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Libya, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Tunisia, and the UAE. Meta AI's capabilities include complex reasoning, instruction following, idea visualisation, and nuanced problem-solving, establishing precedent for major technology companies prioritising Arabic-language AI services. Google has shrunk the delta between English language product roll-outs and global languages over the year, but no timeline has been provided for Arabic language AI mode.
[Written and edited with the assistance of AI]