Google to unveil new search functionality and connectivity features for India
Recently, Google India had its annual event called “Google for India” in New Delhi where it launched a series of new AI-based features to make internet access easier for Indians. Out of the demonstrated ones, the brand-new search features caught everyone’s attention the most. Being deemed as Google Multisearch Tool, it enables users to search using images (both photos and screenshots) and texts simultaneously. Earlier, one could search using either of these. So far, this feature is available in English only, however, by the first quarter of 2023, the tech giant is hopeful to launch the Hindi version as well. In the coming years, it will also be expanded to other regional Indian languages namely Tamil, Telegu, Marathi and Bengali. So now, if you plan to buy a trench coat, you can use a reference picture and also type “trench coat” at the same time for suitable search results. This Multisearch feature was first announced in April 2022 and rolled out in the USA in the month of October.
In addition, Google India is also planning to offer a first-in-India function wherein the search result pages will have the multilingual feature for those who prefer it. What else? Well, the tech major is also on its way to improve Hinglish (Hindi plus English) voice recognition technologies on its search engine. Apart from this, another highlight of the event was when the company declared that it has joined hands with the National eGovernance Division (NeGD) to come up with “Files by Google” app on Android devices that will allow individuals to access their validated digital documents hassle-free. As per Google authorities, important official documents will be stored in this app in an isolated environment that can only be unlocked using a unique lock screen authentication available to the person alone. Do you know what this means? The next time you don’t have to go into all that trouble to locate your government papers as they will already be organised and ready for you to use in a single and safe folder. The algorithm driven by AI is such that it will instantly recognise one’s PAN card and Aadhar card details from papers stored on the app. How cool and convenient is that!
Another lucrative feature unveiled by Google India is the ability to search within YouTube videos. This feature will be available on the Google Search app and users can avail it by simply going to the “Search in the video” option and typing out what they are looking for in that particular video. Besides, Google is also including a search functionality in its UPI app Google Pay wherein users can now search about their various kinds of expenses with natural language queries. For instance: “How much did I spend on food delivery last week?”
The “Google for India” event was attended by Sundar Pichai, its CEO alongside Ashwini Vaishnaw, Minister of Railways, Communications, Electronics and Information Technology for the Government of India.