Google could start charging for its Search Generative Experience (SEG), and it’s already been testing the idea in some markets. The Financial Times reports that the search giant is considering making the AI-powered search available for $19.99/month as part of the Google One AI Premium plan. The plan gets you AI features in Google Workspace and 2TB of storage.
Google began testing AI in search over a year ago, leading to what we call Gemini today. Google executives haven’t yet made a final decision on sharing for SEG. Google has yet to charge for any search function, which would be a significant change. AI-driven searches are far more expensive per query than text-based. Google has also seen a decline in advertising-based revenue over the last few years. So, charging does make sense. We’ve yet to see a complete picture of how AI-driven search will leverage advertising.
