As OpenAI Tests Ads in ChatGPT, Google Keeps Gemini Ad-Free—for Now

OpenAI is preparing to test advertising inside ChatGPT, marking a significant shift in how leading AI platforms approach monetisation. While the move is driven by growing infrastructure costs and revenue pressures, Google has made it clear that it is not planning to follow the same path with its Gemini chatbot—at least not anytime soon.

Speaking on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis confirmed that Google has no immediate plans to introduce ads into Gemini. In an interview with journalist Alex Heath, Hassabis stressed the importance of preserving user trust in conversational AI. “There are no plans to put ads inside Gemini,” he said, adding that while advertising works well across many digital products, combining it with a conversational assistant requires caution. “If you want a true universal assistant that people really trust and rely on, you have to be very thoughtful about how you monetise it.”

Hassabis described OpenAI’s decision as “interesting,” noting that it has come relatively early in ChatGPT’s product lifecycle. “Maybe they feel they need to make more revenue,” he said, pointing to the financial challenges faced by standalone AI companies that do not have diversified income streams. In contrast, Google is able to fund AI development through its established search and advertising businesses, reducing the urgency to monetise Gemini directly.

Google executives have consistently positioned Gemini as a complement to Search rather than a replacement. According to this strategy, Search remains the primary platform for commercial discovery and advertising, while Gemini is focused on creation, reasoning, and analysis. Dan Taylor, Google’s vice president of global ads, has previously emphasised that user intent differs across these products—allowing Google to explore AI-driven monetisation within Search without disrupting the chatbot experience.

Hassabis also warned that poorly implemented advertising could damage confidence in AI-generated responses. “I think if you start mixing that with advertising, it could work, but you just have to be very careful,” he said. “There are many ways that could be done badly.” This view echoes concerns raised by other AI leaders, including Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, who has argued that companies do not need to rush into monetising large free user bases simply due to competitive pressure.

Meanwhile, OpenAI is moving ahead with its plans. The company will begin testing ads in ChatGPT in the coming weeks as it looks to offset rapidly rising operational costs. Initially, advertisements will appear at the bottom of responses for logged-in adult users in the United States who are on the free tier or the new $8-per-month ChatGPT Go plan. Paid offerings—such as Plus, Pro, Business, and Enterprise—will remain ad-free.

As AI assistants become more deeply integrated into daily life, the debate over advertising, trust, and monetisation is likely to intensify. For now, the contrasting approaches of OpenAI and Google highlight a broader industry question: how to balance sustainable revenue with user confidence in AI systems.