Google may start imposing fees on search results that rely on generative artificial intelligence tools, according to a new report published by the Financial Times citing three individuals familiar with the company's plans.
The idea of implementing a paid financial subscription on any part of the search engine is a new concept and would be a first for Google, which has been funding search services from ad revenue since 2000.
However, this wouldn't be the first time Google imposes fees on AI services in general, as it adds a $20 monthly subscription fee to the "Google Workspace" subscription for the "Google Meet Business" service. While these paid products provide access to Google's advanced model "Google Advanced," the company also offers free access to the standard and less-performing "Google Standard" model without any subscription fees.
According to the proposed plan, traditional Google search, which doesn't rely on artificial intelligence, will remain free, and subscribers to the paid AI-supported search package will continue to see ads alongside their search results, as mentioned in the report.
However, the revenue from those ads, which reached $175 billion last year, may not be enough to cover the high costs associated with AI-supported search. A Reuters report last year indicated that conducting a search query through an advanced neural network like "Google" often costs 10 times the cost of keyword search on a regular Google search page, potentially adding several billion dollars in additional costs to the company.
So far, Google has not made a final decision on implementing this plan by adding a paid subscription for AI-powered search operations.
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