Google Search AI is being used in a testing avatar with select users but it could have an ad-free version for people in the future.
Google Search AI could eventually come within a paywall from the company which will be a big change from the search giant. The AI version of Search has been limited to select users for now but the broader plan for the company is to have it available for billions and maybe even make it chargeable in some ways.
The report from Financial Times claims Google could look at offering some of the AI search features as a part of the premium subscription. The report also mentions that Google will continue to offer the free version of AI search but people will see ads.
So, if they prefer to get a clean and premium version of the Search AI they might be charged a fee. The company is still looking at ways the premium model could work with the help of its engineers so it is not clear if these plans will eventually come through to the public or not.
Google taking the paid route for its AI tech does seem unrealistic for the time being, as it looks to fix the systems and ensure that data model doesn’t err with information provided, even though the AI chatbot carries a disclaimer with a warning about being inaccurate at times.
The recent episode around its AI image generator is a prime example of how the AI tools need to be fixed, made accurate before they can be considered as a premium service. Google CEO Sundar Pichai called it an unacceptable mistake, and the company should realise that more than anyone involved in the segment. Having said that, Google seems to have confirmed that it has no plans or working on an ad-free AI search version, but we’ll actually wait for a year or so to see if the company can stay true to its promise.