Part of what make the internet age that we are currently in is the easy and mostly free access of information. Facilitating this is Google, the name that’s pretty much ubiquitous with the act of searching for something on the internet. But what if I told you that an AI-powered of the feature is on the way, but it won’t be free?
The Financial Times reports that this will be what the company considers a “premium” feature for the function the company is best known for. If the old simple internet search is enough, the feature will still be offered free of charge, with ads being the element driving money to the company.
Right now, Google already charges for AI features in specific use cases. For instnance, Gmail and Docs has access to Gemini for those who have subscribed to the Google One AI Premium plan. The report notes that the company is looking to do something similar with its AI-powered search endeavour, and that engineers are developing the tech needed to deploy it.
Also noted in the report that, should Google go ahead with this decision, it would be the first time that the internet search giant locks an element of its core search product behind a paywall. Which is wild, but it would also be somewhat consistent with all of the company’s other AI-related endeavours. With the exception of Gemini on Android, all other instances of generative AI by the company are locked behind a paywall.
All that being said, FT’s sources say that Google execs have not made a final decision on the matter. With that, it’s possible that the company decides to launch some elements of the AI-powered search for free users over time. For now though, it’s unclear what the split between free and paid features will be like, or even when the paid-for AI-powered search will be launched.
(Source: FT)
