Google Search No Longer Free?

Could Google Search soon come with a price tag? Reports suggest that Google is indeed considering discontinuing certain features of its search engine for free. Planned are premium paid features for the AI-driven search.

Google: AI Search Could Become Paid

According to reports, Google is considering charging for AI-based premium features of its search engine. Some of these features could disappear behind a paywall reserved for paying subscribers of Google One. However, the classic search is expected to remain free.

Recently, Google has expanded AI search and made it accessible to a wider user base. The AI-powered search provides comprehensive, instantly generated answers while simultaneously displaying links for users to obtain further information.

Google’s AI search has already attracted scammers:

Google itself emphasizes in a statement that it is constantly working on new subscription offerings to “continuously renew the search.” According to its own statements, it has already answered “billions of AI-driven search queries.” The company’s goal is not to offer an “ad-free search experience” where users pay a fee instead of seeing ads. Furthermore, there is currently nothing to announce.

However, it is clear that a new competition has emerged with text robots like ChatGPT, which could threaten Google’s traditional search results and associated advertising revenue. The combination of Google search and advertising generates an annual revenue of approximately €161 billion.

Search volume could decline: Google under pressure
Analysts at market research firm Gartner expect that ChatGPT and similar products will lead to a decline in traditional search volume in the coming years. By 2026, the volume could decrease by around a quarter, they say.