Google might make users pay for premium AI features in search results

Rumors say that Google might soon change its search monetization strategy and make us pay for premium AI features in search results. If this is true, it would be the first time the company charges for one of its core features. However, Google could incorporate the new features into its premium subscription services.

Premium AI features might threaten Google’s core revenue

Google believes that AI threatens its core revenue from advertising. After all, most of us are using AI to perform searches. Thus, we don’t interact with multiple websites like we used to. Instead, the AI summarizes the information for us and answers our queries.

On top of that, we interact with ads less because we use chatbots more. In addition, it is difficult for Google to keep delivering ads based on our preferences when we don’t provide our browsing habits and don’t have a search history. In addition, online publishers that rely on traffic fear that the new premium AI features could threaten their businesses, especially since AI does copyright infringements.

However, by charging people extra for new premium AI features on its search results, Google could lose some of its user base. Thus, its competitors might take this opportunity to improve their search engines and gain more users.

Even if Google’s traditional search engine stays the same, users might still be displeased by the paywall. After all, even if we pay for a service that uses premium AI features to generate better search results, most of us wouldn’t like seeing ads. So, we might keep using the traditional engine.

Google’s experimental service provides ads

To challenge the threat of ChatGPT, Google introduced in May 2023 a new experimental service called Search Generative Experience (SGE). Yet, even if it gives better search results, it also provides ads. However, Google didn’t implement the premium AI features from their experiment, most likely to protect its ads revenue.

On the other hand, it is costly for Google to implement premium AI features in their search results. After all, they use more power to generate answers. On top of that, the company offered access to the SGE service to some limited groups and Google One subscribers.

This year, Google added a new paid tier to its Google One subscription service for users who want a better version of AI. For example, customers could use Gemini to Workspace, and have premium AI features in Docs and Gmail.

According to the Financial Times, Google could add some of its premium AI features to the traditional search engine to enhance it. Also, the company is not going to bring ad-free services. Yet, it will bring better features for its premium customers.

Ultimately, Google is trying to add more enhanced premium AI features for its subscribers. However, they won’t introduce ad-free searches. On top of that, the company could introduce some of the premium AI features to the traditional search engine. Furthermore, they will continue to develop the Search Generative Experience to see its potential.

What are your thoughts? Are you eager to try using AI in your search results? Let us know in the comments.