Google has launched its latest Personal Intelligence AI platform in the Arab world, as it continues to boost its services in the region.
Users subscribed to Google AI Plus, Pro and Ultra will be able to access the service, which will also be rolled out to free users in the coming weeks, the company said on Tuesday.
In a separate statement to The National, Google said all Arab-world countries except Syria will get the service.
Personal Intelligence will help Arabic-speaking users “and beyond get a much more personalised and helpful experience”, said Najeeb Jarrar, Google's regional product and marketing director for the Middle East and Africa.
What is Personal Intelligence?
Google launched Personal Intelligence in January, Gemini's biggest upgrade. Gemini is the Silicon Valley company's entry in the AI wars.
It connects to and uses personal data from Gmail, Photos, YouTube and Search – among the most used services worldwide – to provide more context for user queries.
It has two core strengths: reasoning across complex sources, and retrieving specific details from sources such as emails or photos to answer queries, using text, photos and video to provide “uniquely tailored answers”.
According to Google, among Personal Intelligence's core mechanics are using tailored recommendations, streamlining tight schedules and creating custom itineraries, and even helping out with tech troubleshooting and discovering new hobbies.
Users will have to manually enable Personal Intelligence by opening the Gemini app, navigating to its settings, then tapping Personal Intelligence and selecting Connected Apps.
Arab world reach
Google has continued to be active in the Arab world, reflecting its commitment to reaching and engaging more users in the region.
Last year, it unveiled Google Search's AI Mode in Arabic, which it says can answer “even the toughest questions”.
In the UAE, the company granted university students free subscriptions to Gemini 2.5 in October, as part of efforts to boost the use of artificial intelligence in learning. Google also helped the Emirates in creating a Cyber Security Centre of Excellence.
Before that, Google also launched Maharat Min, a free digital platform offering online and face-to-face learning, helping Arabic speakers to improve their job prospects.
In Saudi Arabia, Google teamed up with the country's sovereign wealth fund, the Public Investment Fund, to build an AI hub in the kingdom focused on developing Arabic language models and Saudi-specific applications to boost the country's technological capabilities.
