Google Search might come at a price in the future

According to some recent pieces of information, the online search with Google might come with a price in future. A report shared by Financial Times indicate that Google could offer premium AI-features in search for a fee. The report claims that the advanced AI-powered search features could be offered with Google’s current subscription services like Google One or Gemini Advanced.

Notably, the report shows that Google Search would still include advertisements on its premium tier even if the standard version will still be available for free. This possible revolution appears to be the result of Google having to strike a compromise between preserving the lucrative search advertising that provides the company with its primary source of revenue and incorporating state-of-the-art AI into its search interface.

The stakes are high, as evidenced by the company’s astounding $175 billion in search-related ad revenue last year. Meanwhile, Google has entered a competition for supremacy in AI due to the explosive growth of OpenAI’s ChatGPT. Last year, in May, Google began testing the AI-powered search service aka Search Generative Experience (SGE).

SGE provides standard link and advertisement presentation in addition to AI-powered summaries and query responses. Up until recently, the SGE experience was entirely optional. However, Google has begun testing it as the default experience for a select group of customers. The corporation has, however, taken its time integrating these SGE capabilities into its primary search engine, most likely as a result of the generative AI models’ high processing costs.

Although SGE offers several advantages, it is challenging for the current business model of the company. According to the source, Google engineers are now working on this technology, but a final decision and a release date are still pending.