In a surprising twist, Google, the search engine giant that serves billions globally, is reportedly mulling over the idea of charging for AI-generated premium content.
This move would mark a significant shift in Google's business model, introducing a paywall for the first time in its history.
As of now, Google maintains a tight-lipped stance, stating it has no announcements to make "right now". However, according to the Financial Times, the tech behemoth is exploring the possibility of adding AI-powered search features to its premium subscription services. These services already offer access to Gemini, Google's AI assistant and answer to the viral chatbot, ChatGPT.
While the final decision remains up in the air, engineers are reportedly developing the necessary technology to deploy the service. Notably, Google's traditional search engine would remain free, continuing to display ads alongside search results. Subscribers, too, would see these ads.
Google's journey with AI has been a rocky one. Earlier this year, Gemini sparked controversy by generating an image of the US Founding Fathers, erroneously including a black man. It also depicted German soldiers from World War Two inaccurately, featuring a black man and an Asian woman. Google promptly "paused" the tool and issued an apology, acknowledging it had "missed the mark".
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Despite these hurdles, Google remains the go-to search engine for the majority of internet users. Statista reports that Google has dominated the desktop search engine market since 2015, serving over 80% of internet users. Estimates suggest that Google serves more than a billion users daily.
Google's primary revenue source is advertising. Its parent company, Alphabet, is a global internet giant with a 2023 valuation of $1.6tn (£1.26tn). However, Google has diversified its portfolio, offering mail, productivity tools, enterprise products, and mobile devices, among other ventures. In 2023, it generated revenues of approximately $305.6bn (£241bn).
In a statement to the BBC, Google clarified that it is "not working on or considering an ad-free search experience". It added, "As we've done many times before, we'll continue to build new premium capabilities and services to enhance our subscription offerings across Google. We don't have anything to announce right now."
So, while the prospect of a premium, AI-powered Google service is intriguing, we'll have to wait and see what the future holds. Stay tuned!
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