Google Open to Ads in Gemini AI App

Google Chief Business Officer Philipp Schindler indicated during Alphabet's first-quarter 2026 earnings call that the company is open to introducing advertisements in its Gemini AI app, provided a suitable format proves effective in its AI Mode for search first.

The call, held on Wednesday, marked a shift from Google's stance just months earlier. In December and January, company executives, including Vice President of Global Ads Dan Taylor, stated there were no plans for ads in the standalone Gemini app and dismissed related reports as inaccurate. Schindler emphasized that the current priority remains the app's free tier, subscription plans, and monetizing AI Mode, a conversational search feature where ads are already being tested alongside AI Overviews in search results. "Our focus right now is on AI Mode, but it's fair to say that we really believe a format that works well in AI Mode would transfer successfully to the Gemini app," Schindler said. He added, "Ads have always been a big part of scaling products to reach billions of people. And if done well, ads can be really valuable and really helpful commercial information." The executive stressed that Google is not rushing...