Google mulls charging for AI-powered search

In what would be the biggest ever shake-up of its search business, Google is considering charging for new “premium” features powered by generative artificial intelligence. The proposed revamp to its search engine would mark the first time the company has put any of its core products behind a paywall. This also shows how the search giant is still grappling with a technology that threatens its advertising business.

Google is toying with options including adding certain AI-powered search features to its premium subscription services, which already offer access to its new Gemini AI assistant in Gmail and Docs. One of the sources however said that while engineers are developing the technology needed to deploy the service, executives have not yet made a final decision on whether or when to launch it.

Google’s traditional search engine would remain free of charge, while ads would continue to appear alongside search results even for subscribers.

Google reported $US175 billion ($267 billion) in revenue from search and related ads last year, more than half its total sales. The company has been thinking for a while of how to embrace the latest AI innovations while preserving its biggest profit driver.

Though Google began testing an experimental AI-powered search service in May last year, presenting more detailed answers to queries while also continuing to present users with links to further information and advertising, it has been slow to add any of the features.