Google explores AI paywall option

Google, the globally utilised search engine serving over a billion users, is reportedly contemplating the introduction of fees for premium content generated by artificial intelligence (AI).

Owned by Alphabet Inc., the company is exploring a business model overhaul, considering placing certain core products behind a paywall, reports BBC.

According to the Financial Times (FT), Google is considering adding specific AI-powered search features to its premium subscription services, which currently provide access to its new AI assistant named Gemini, Google's version of the popular chatbot ChatGPT.

Executives have reportedly not reached a decision on when or whether to proceed with the technology, but the FT noted that engineers are developing the necessary expertise to deploy the service, says BBC.

Google's traditional search engine would remain free of charge but would continue to appear with ads alongside searched-for content, which subscribers would also see, the FT said.

Google has faced challenges coming to grips with the AI revolution - earlier this year Gemini, which can answer questions in text form but also generate pictures in response to text prompts, stoked controversy after it mistakenly created an image of the US Founding Fathers including a black man.

It also generated German soldiers from World War Two, incorrectly featuring a black man and an Asian woman.

According to BBC, Google apologised and immediately "paused" the tool, saying it was "missing the mark".

However, the company is still number one for the majority of internet users when it comes to searching for information.

According to the global market research company Statista, Google has dominated the desktop search engine market since 2015 with a solid 80%+ of internet users. Various websites suggest it has more than a billion daily users.

The majority of Google's revenues are generated through advertising. Its parent company, Alphabet, is one of the biggest internet companies worldwide with a 2023 valuation of $1.6tn (£1.26tn), according to Statista.

But it has diversified and now offers mail, productivity tools, enterprise products and mobile devices, among other ventures, and in 2023 it earned revenues of approximately $305.6bn (£241bn)

In a statement issued to the BBC, Google said it was "not working on or considering an ad-free search experience".

"As we've done many times before, we'll continue to build new premium capabilities and services to enhance our subscription offerings across Google," the search giant said. "We don't have anything to announce right now."