Could Google charge a fee for AI search results? We don't think so.

[DragonSlayer101]

Rumor mill: Google is the undisputed king of web search, so much so that "Googling" has colloquially become a verb around the world. The company's success has largely been based on its relevant search results that are freely available across all platforms. However, that could soon change, with the company said to be exploring ways to offer "cutting-edge" AI-powered search features for a fee.

According to a report from the Financial Times (paywalled), Google's AI-powered search results will reportedly be available as part of its existing subscription services like Gemini Advanced or Google One, while basic search services will remain free. Interestingly, the report claims that even the paid-for tier would include ads like the free service, which could be annoying for some subscribers.

Speaking to the publication, a Google spokesperson stated that the company remains committed to enhancing its subscription offerings, without confirming any specific plans for premium AI-powered search services.

The report does not give a launch timeline for the paid tier, but Google has been testing an AI-powered search experience since last May. Called the "Search Generative Experience," or SGE, it offers AI-powered summaries and responses to search queries alongside traditional website links and ads. The general consensus from users is that AI results are really, really bad.

Here's one of many bad examples of Google AI trying to answer to a search query, as shown by the Washington Post's article "I tried the new Google. Its answers are worse."

Though SGE is still not available to most search users, the feature was originally opt-in but Google has now made it the default for most beta testers.

There are no further details about Google's plans for a premium search tier, but such a move could highlight the company's efforts to generate money by integrating AI into its bread-and-butter business without sacrificing its massive ad revenues.

At first glance, the report seems positive for Google's parent Alphabet from a financial point of view, but the company's shares dipped slightly following the rumor over concerns about whether people would be ready to pay a premium for a service that has traditionally been free for decades.

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Could Google charge a fee for AI search results? We don't think so.

 

[Superconductor]

No

 

[umeng2002]

Thank god. You can clearly tell that they already using it, and the results are a disaster. Google has been utterly useless over the past year or two.

 

[ScottSoapbox]

Google makes hundreds of billions of dollars off of search traffic and data, yet wants to charge on top of that? GTFO.

 

[winjer]

 

[VariableSpike]

Not in a million years, paying for single answers when I can ask a ai chatbot multiple at once with a similar level of (middling to poor) accuracy? Google really is worroed that ai will make the wheels fall off the search gravy train (because their entire business model is ads at the core)

 

[dangh]

I do use ai chats to get my answers and it does work better than just googling, but I'm not going to pay for it.

 

[monkeylove]

Some report that the cost of AI-powered searching is ten times higher than that of regular searches.

 

[m4a4]

For average users? No.

But if it was any good (or time-saving) for companies, I could see them convincing some for a price...

 

[toooooot]

I have seen their image AI software. Its worth is exactly $0

 

[OortCloud]

Can we charge them for all the data they keep on us all without our real consent, for constantly wasting our time with nags to switch to Google or buy subscriptions and for their sh1t youtube adverts we have to sit through?

 

[Mr Majestyk]

They would have pay me to use their utter trash AI plagiarism engine.

 

[Atmajaya2020]

Right now, of course I say "NO"..
but in the (distant) future, I won't necessarily say "no"..

 

[Vanderlinde]

Google makes hundreds of billions of dollars off of search traffic and data, yet wants to charge on top of that? GTFO.

If you watch closely, and why company's like BING or GOOGLE are investing so heavily in AI "to the users" ... Imagine the telemetry and data you can harvest with that and the endless business oppertunity's.

AI in this form is a danger.

 

[James Ryan]

Google makes hundreds of billions of dollars off of search traffic and data, yet wants to charge on top of that? GTFO.

Anyone would think you're new to capitalism.

 

[ferrellsl]

I suppose there might be paying customers out there who are looking for blatantly anti-white/racist search results. Google has already tested the waters for that. I don' t think they did that by accident either. Not a company as large and wealthy as Google.

 

[Ecurb]

I pay for ChatGPT and for the moment it is worth it.