Amid the fierce competition in the AI assistant arena, Google has chosen a more cautious and shrewd monetization approach: instead of forcibly inserting ads into the Gemini chat interface, it has deeply integrated advertising into its AI search ecosystem—allowing commercial information to naturally appear when users truly need it.
Responding to external speculation about potential ads in Gemini, Dan Taylor, Google's Global Advertising Vice President, recently clearly stated, "There are currently no plans to place ads within the Gemini app." He emphasized that Gemini's positioning is "an AI assistant for creation, analysis, and task execution," while search remains "the main channel for discovering new information, encountering new products, and services." Although both are AI products, their roles are distinct, and their monetization strategies are entirely different.
This strategy reflects Google's delicate balance between user experience and commercial interests. Currently, Google has already deployed ads in the "AI Overviews" at the top of its search engine and in the "AI Mode" conversation feature, with monthly active users reaching 2 billion and 650 million respectively. Data shows that the ad click-through rate in AI Overviews is roughly comparable to traditional search ads, proving that users are not opposed to high-quality, contextually relevant promotional content.
However, Google has not simply replicated the old model. Inserting ads too early in multi-turn conversation scenarios can easily trigger a "trust crisis." For example, when a user asks "How to scientifically prepare for a marathon," the system will not immediately push shoe ads but wait until the conversation reaches the equipment selection stage, then match based on intent. This "demand-driven" advertising logic is empowering over 80% of advertisers through tools like "Search AI Maximized," with algorithms automatically optimizing creative content and placement.
More notably, Google is testing a new form of advertising called "Direct Offers"—when users show clear purchase intent during an AI conversation, the system can push personalized discounts in real-time, even supporting direct payment within Gemini or AI mode. This closed-loop experience upgrades AI from an "information intermediary" to a "transaction enabler."
In contrast, OpenAI faces profitability pressures due to the lack of a mature advertising platform. Analyst Ben Thompson remarked that if ChatGPT continues to delay exploring ad monetization, "it could threaten the company's survival." Google, backed by 25 years of search advertising experience, can calmly plan its strategy, avoiding the risk of harming the user experience of Gemini due to a rush to monetize.
In the AI arms race, Google's strategy is clear: "Maintaining a 'pure assistant' image for Gemini to win user attention, while turning AI search into an efficient, intelligent, and high-conversion next-generation advertising engine." While competitors are still debating whether to add ads, Google has quietly turned AI traffic into real money—just that it chooses to let users hardly notice the presence of ads.
