Tech

Google is currently conducting an experiment involving the placement of advertisements in search results generated by artificial intelligence using the Gemini framework. This was reported by 9to5Google.
The first to notice this development was SEO consultant Brodie Clark. According to his findings, ads appear at the bottom of responses generated by the chatbot and are labeled as "sponsored" content. Visually, these links are nearly indistinguishable from regular links created by AI.
At this moment, the new AI search interface does not allow users to hide these advertising blocks. Google had previously announced an option to hide sponsored results in traditional search, but it seems these settings do not extend to the AI mode.
Google has stated that this is merely a testing phase, which was announced in May of this year. The company assures that ads are not supposed to be displayed to all users. Google also informed 9to5Google that there are currently no plans to fully integrate ads into the AI mode. Nevertheless, this experiment indicates a pursuit of monetization strategies for artificial intelligence services.
The testing of ads in the AI mode has already sparked discussions about the future of such solutions. Chatbots are currently positioned as personal assistants, and the introduction of advertising blocks in their responses could negatively alter user perceptions.

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