Google, the search engine used by more than 1 billion people around the world, is reportedly considering charging for premium content generated by artificial intelligence (AI).
The Alphabet company is said to be considering revamping its business model and putting some of its flagship products behind a paywall.
This will be the first time that Google will charge for its own content.
Google said it has nothing to announce “at this time.”
According to the Financial Times (FT), the company is adding certain AI to its premium subscription service, which already offers access to a new AI assistant called Gemini, Google's version of the viral chatbot ChatGPT. It is said that they are considering whether to add the search function they used.
Executives have reportedly not yet decided when or if to move forward with the technology, but the FT said engineers are developing the know-how needed to introduce the service.
Google's traditional search engine will remain free, but ads will continue to appear alongside the content searched for and will be visible to subscribers, the FT said.
Google faces challenges with the AI revolution. The man who sparked controversy earlier this year when Gemini not only answered questions in text format, but could also generate images in response to text prompts, accidentally creating images of the Founding Fathers of the United States, including black people. .
It also featured German soldiers from World War II, and accidentally featured a black man and an Asian woman.
Google apologized and immediately “suspended” the tool, saying it “missed the mark.”
However, when it comes to searching for information, the company remains number one for the majority of internet users.
According to global market research firm Statista, Google has dominated the desktop search engine market since 2015, ensuring it accounts for more than 80% of internet users. Various websites suggest that it has more than 1 billion daily users.
Most of Google's revenue comes from advertising. Parent company Alphabet is one of the world's largest internet companies, valued at $1.6 trillion (about £1.26 trillion) in 2023, according to Statista.
But the company has diversified and now offers businesses such as email, productivity tools, enterprise products and mobile devices, with revenues of around $305.6 billion (£241 billion) in 2023.
In a statement to the BBC, Google said: “We are not working on or considering an ad-free search experience.”
“As we have done many times before, we will continue to build new premium features and services and enhance our subscription offerings across Google,” the search giant said. “There is nothing to announce at this time.”