Google is considering the possibility of charging for new premium features based on artificial intelligence. Adding paid features to the search system may be the first case of direct monetization of the company's main product for regular users. Financial Times reported, citing insiders.
Google is exploring options to add specific AI-based search functions to its premium subscription services, which already offer access to the Gemini AI assistant in Gmail and Docs. Engineers are developing the technology needed to deploy the service, but executives have not yet made a final decision on whether to launch it and when to do so.
The traditional Google search engine will remain free, and ads will continue to be displayed alongside search results even for subscribers. Last year, Google reported $175 billion in search ad revenue, accounting for more than half of the company's total sales.
In May of last year, Google began testing the experimental AI-based Search Generative Experience search service, which provides detailed answers to queries along with links to additional information and advertisements. Such search results, which include an "AI-based instant snapshot," are more expensive for Google to provide than traditional answers, as generative AI consumes much more computational resources. The company offered access to SGE to a small number of users, including some Google One subscribers.
Some analysts warn that Google's ad business may suffer if its search engine provides more complete AI-generated answers that do not require users to visit advertisers' sites. Online publishers also fear that fewer users will visit their sites if Google's AI-based search extracts information from their web pages and presents it directly to users.
This year, Google added a new premium tier to its consumer subscription service Google One for users who wanted to use its modern chatbot Gemini. The company added Gemini to Workspace, its suite of online work applications.
It is unclear how the company will integrate paid AI-based search into its products. According to sources, Google may still decide to launch certain elements of its experimental AI-based service in its main free search engine. Google also stated that the company is not working on ad-free search and is not considering it, but will continue to create new premium features and services to enhance subscription offerings.
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