You didn’t think that artificial intelligence would remain (mostly) free forever, did you? A new report claims that Google is looking at ways to begin charging users for AI-powered search and other associated features. That would mark quite a departure from how the company does things. It’s only recently taken the choice to charge users for access to YouTube (if you’d like to avoid ads and have other features as well) so this is a big step.
The report, via the Financial Times, reckons that the choice is being made in response to the expense of developing and maintaining AI systems within the company. It’s not an unusual call to make. Users keen on the latest features from OpenAI are expected to hand over a monthly premium for the same reason.
Smart, Google
The company feels that its new search features, reportedly a single response to search queries in a similar manner to that offered by ChatGPT and other AIs, are worth charging for. Other features will probably also fall under this banner as they are developed. The main question is how to charge users.
It’s not immediately clear whether Google will create an all-new subscription service for users. It’s more likely that folks who are already giving the company money will gain access to enhanced artificial intelligence assistance for search queries — if that’s what they want. A small subset of users are already testing new features but others will have to sign up for access when it becomes more broadly available.
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It’s a slick idea and one that might drive adoption of existing paid-for Google products. AI is increasingly being used to tempt users over to a particular brand rather than acting as a standalone product. Microsoft’s Edge browser, Adobe’s services, and many others are touting AI integration. Even Mercedes is bragging about ChatGPT integration. The search giant probably will have little issue putting this idea over with its users.