Google says there aren't 'any plans' to put ads in Gemini

Worried about seeing a bunch of ads in your favorite AI assistant? If you're using Google Gemini, you probably won't — at least not in the foreseeable future.

During an interview in Davos, Switzerland, Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis told Alex Heath that the company doesn’t have “any plans” to put ads in Gemini. In contrast, OpenAI is about to start testing ads in ChatGPT, causing outrage from many of its users.

Plans can and do sometimes change, of course, and Google could still integrate ads into its AI assistant one day, but at least we know it's not happening soon. (Though we should note that Google is currently the largest advertising company on the planet; in 2023, the company generated $175 trillion in ad revenue.)

In discussing AI ads at Davos, Hassabis also seemed to take a subtle shot at his chief AI rival, telling Axios he was "surprised" that OpenAI was turning to ads so quickly.

In a tweet, OpenAI said that ChatGPT ads will only show up in ChatGPT free and Go tiers, and explained that ChatGPT's responses will not be influenced by ads and that users' conversations will remain private from advertisers.

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The company said that its mission is "to ensure AGI benefits all of humanity," and that its pursuit of advertising is "always in support of that mission," as well as "making AI more accessible.

It probably isn't that simple, though. In 2024, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said ads were a "last resort" for the company, and recent reports describe how Altman internally declared "code red," prioritizing efforts to make sure ChatGPT doesn't fall behind competitors, including Gemini.