Growing into new markets in the age of AI search

Opening a new market used to follow a familiar plan: a local website, local search rankings, a few ad campaigns. That plan still matters, but there is a new first step in the buyer's journey. Today, someone in your next market can meet your brand, or your competitor's, in an answer written by AI, in their own language, before they see an ad or a list of links.

Here is what the official figures say about how far AI search has spread, how people use it, and what that means for a brand that wants to grow abroad.

AI search is already in your next market

Google's AI features are no longer limited to a few countries. As of May 2025, AI Overviews were offered in over 200 countries and territories, in more than 40 languages¹. In October 2025, AI Mode added more than 35 languages and over 40 countries and territories, reaching over 200 countries and territories in total, many of them in Europe².

Usage has followed. Google says AI Mode has passed 1 billion monthly active users, and the Gemini app has 950 million³.

For a brand, this means AI answers are not a trend to watch in one big market. They are already part of search in almost every market you might enter.

People are using AI, and the young lead the way

Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union, measures how people across the EU use digital tools. In 2025, 63.8% of people aged 16-24 in the EU used generative AI tools, nearly twice the share of the general population aged 16-74, which was 32.7%⁴.

The figures also show how people use these tools. Private use was more common among young people (44.2%) than in the general population (25.1%), while professional use was similar in both groups, at 15.8% and 15.1%⁴.

Adoption also varies a lot between countries. Among young people, the highest shares were in Greece (83.5%), Estonia (82.8%) and Czechia (78.5%), and the lowest in Romania (44.1%), Italy (47.2%) and Poland (49.3%)⁴. Two markets that look alike on a map can be at very different stages of AI use, so it pays to look at each one separately.

Shopping is moving into the answer

AI search is also a place to shop now: in AI Mode, Google brings together Gemini and its Shopping Graph to help people browse for ideas, think through their options and narrow down products⁵. The Shopping Graph now has more than 50 billion product listings, with details such as reviews, prices and availability⁵. More than 2 billion of those listings are refreshed every hour⁵.

When a buyer asks an AI assistant which product to choose, the answer can draw on this kind of product data. Complete, accurate and up-to-date product information becomes part of how a brand is recommended, not just how it is listed.

What this means for a brand entering a new market

The good news is that the rules are the same everywhere. Google says there are no extra requirements or special optimizations needed to appear in AI Overviews or AI Mode⁶. To be shown as a supporting link, a page has to be indexed and allowed to appear in Google Search with a snippet⁶.

What changes from market to market is the language and the competition. Google says the Gemini model behind AI Mode lets it grasp the subtleties of local languages². Buyers ask in their own words, and the answer they get may name a local competitor you have never heard of.

• Check each market separately. Ask the questions your buyers ask, in their language and from their country, and see who gets named.
• Write for local questions. Translate less, answer more: build pages around what buyers in that market actually ask.
• Keep product data complete. Prices, availability and reviews should be accurate and consistent wherever your products are listed.
• Know your local competitors. The brands named next to you in one country may be different in the next.
• Measure by market. Track visibility and results country by country, not as one global number.

OLAB Assist is built for exactly this: it asks AI assistants your customers' questions from your target country, in their language, and shows whether your brand or a competitor is named. You can start with a free analysis in a few minutes.

About the data

The Eurostat figures cover people in the European Union in 2025. Google's figures are reported by the company itself. We will update this post when new official data is published.