Google, used by more than a billion people around the world, is reportedly considering charging for premium content generated by artificial intelligence (AI).
Alphabet Inc. The company it owns is overhauling its business model and trying to put some of its core products behind paywalls.
This is the first time Google has charged for its content
Google says it has nothing to announce “at this time.”
According to the Financial Times (FT), the company is considering adding some AI-powered search features to its premium subscription services, which already offer access to a new AI assistant called Gemini, Google’s version of its viral chatbot ChatGPT.
Executives have reportedly not yet decided when and if they will move forward with the technology, but the Financial Times said engineers are in the process of developing the knowledge needed to deliver the service.
Google’s traditional search engine remains free, but continues to display ads alongside searched content that consumers also see. The Financial Times said.
Google has faced challenges in dealing with the AI revolution – earlier this year its Gemini system, which can answer questions in text but also produce images in response to text prompts, sparked controversy after it mistakenly produced an image of the US founding father. Also there is a black picture. People.
World War II German soldiers were also shown, mistakenly showing a black man and an Asian woman.
Google apologized and immediately halted the tool, saying it “missed the mark.”
However, for most internet users, it is still the number one company when it comes to searching for information.
According to global market research firm Statista, Google has dominated the desktop search engine market since 2015, accounting for more than 80% of Internet users. Various websites claim to have more than one billion daily users.
The majority of Google’s revenue comes from advertising. Its parent company Alphabet is one of the world’s largest internet companies, worth $1.6 trillion (£1.26 trillion) in 2023, according to Statista.
But the company has diversified and now offers mail, productivity tools, enterprise products and mobile devices, among other things, and is expected to generate revenue of around $305.6 billion (£241 billion) in 2023.
In a statement released to the BBC, Google said it was “not working on or considering an ad-free search feature.”
“As we have often done in the past, we will continue to develop new premium features and services to enhance our subscription offerings at Google,” the search giant said. “We have nothing to announce at this time.”
