A.I. News Google might make users pay for AI features in search results

[silversurfer]

Content source

https://arstechnica.com/ai/2024/04/google-might-make-users-pay-for-ai-features-in-search-results/

Google might start charging for access to search results that use generative artificial intelligence tools. That's according to a new Financial Times report citing "three people with knowledge of [Google's] plans."

Charging for any part of the search engine at the core of its business would be a first for Google, which has funded its search product solely with ads since 2000. But it's far from the first time Google would charge for AI enhancements in general; the "AI Premium" tier of a Google One subscription costs $10 more per month than a standard "Premium" plan, for instance, while "Gemini Business" adds $20 a month to a standard Google Workspace subscription.

While those paid products offer access to Google's high-end "Gemini Advanced" AI model, Google also offers free access to its less performant, plain "Gemini" model without any kind of paid subscription.

 

[Morro]

As if they do not earn enough money already with all their other paid services, and all the data they collect from us and sell. At least they will offer a less performant version should they do this.