Google Considers Charging Users for AI-Powered Search

Google is considering charging users for premium features on its AI-powered search engine. The Financial Times reported that this would mark the first time in its history that the search engine houses a paywall.

Google plans to keep its traditional search engine free of charge, and users (including premium subscribers) will continue to see ads at the top of search results. However, charging users for an advanced search listing using AI reveals that Google’s current advertising model is under threat.

The company has always funded its core services, such as Google Search and Gmail, through advertising. However, the introduction of generative AI and chatbots like ChatGPT is changing the search engine landscape drastically. Removing the need to scroll through a list of websites also removed the space needed to display ads.

Speculators have argued that using generative AI in search results will change Google’s business model, but it’s not clear whether this will yield more profit for the company or not. Google launched its Generative Search Experiment (SGE) last year, allowing only a small subset of US-based users to test the feature.

Since the release of ChatGPT, Google has been trying hard to counter the strong competition posed by the chatbot. With ChatGPT providing direct and detailed answers to queries, it makes a traditional Google search seem inefficient. Why scroll through a list of links to sites that may have relevant answers when ChatGPT can provide the answer without all the fluff?

This is probably why Google’s SGE includes a nice chatbot-like response at the top of search results: providing users with a solid answer and then listing links below that. We’re likely to witness a lot more experimentation in the near future in regard to how search results listings are designed, as Google strives to remain competitive.

It is not yet clear whether or when this update will take effect, but for users who already have access to some of these AI-powered features through Gemini in Gmail, Docs, Slides, Sheets, and Meet, there’s likely going to be a premium version of Google search added to the list soon.

Reportedly, these features will become available in a new Google One AI Premium plan. But, this isn’t confirmed and is only one of many routes Google may take.

“As we’ve done many times before, we’ll continue to build new premium capabilities and services to enhance our subscription offerings across Google,” a spokesperson from Google told The Register when asked about the update. “We don’t have anything to announce right now,” the spokesperson added.