Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis stated Google doesn’t have any present plans to introduce promoting into its Gemini AI assistant, citing unresolved questions on consumer belief.
Talking on the World Financial Discussion board in Davos, Hassabis stated AI assistants characterize a unique product than search. He believes Gemini ought to be constructed for customers first.
“Within the realm of assistants, if you happen to consider the chatbot as an assistant that’s meant to be useful and ideally in my thoughts, as they grow to be extra highly effective, the type of expertise that works for you as the person,” Hassabis stated in an interview with Axios. “That’s what I’d wish to see with these techniques.”
He stated nobody within the business has found out how promoting suits into that mannequin.
“There’s a query about how does advertisements match into that mannequin, the place you wish to have belief in your assistant,” Hassabis stated. “I feel nobody’s actually obtained a full reply to that but.”
When requested straight about Google’s plans, Hassabis stated: “We don’t have any present plans to do it ourselves.”
What Hassabis Stated About OpenAI
The feedback got here days after OpenAI stated it plans to start testing advertisements in ChatGPT within the coming weeks for logged-in adults within the U.S. on free and Go tiers.
Hassabis stated he was “a bit bit shocked they’ve moved so early into that.”
He acknowledged promoting has funded a lot of the patron web and could be helpful to customers when finished properly. However he warned that poor execution in AI assistants may injury consumer relationships.
“I feel it may be finished proper, however it may also be finished in a approach that’s not good,” Hassabis stated. “In the long run, what we wish to do is be essentially the most helpful we could be to our customers.”
Search Is Completely different
Hassabis drew a line between AI assistants and search when discussing promoting.
When requested whether or not his feedback utilized to Google Search, the place the corporate already reveals advertisements in AI Overviews, he stated the 2 merchandise work in another way.
“However there it’s utterly completely different use case since you’ve already similar to the way it’s at all times labored with search, you’ve already, , we all know what your intent is mainly and so we could be useful there,” Hassabis stated. “That’s a really completely different assemble.”
Google started rolling out advertisements in AI Overviews in October 2024 and has continued increasing them since. The corporate claims AI Overviews generate advert income equal to conventional search outcomes.
Why This Issues
That is the second time in two months {that a} Google government has stated Gemini advertisements aren’t at present deliberate.
In December, Google Adverts VP Dan Taylor disputed an Adweek report claiming the corporate had instructed advertisers to anticipate Gemini advertisements in 2026. Taylor referred to as that report “inaccurate” and stated Google has “no present plans” to monetize the Gemini app.
Hassabis’s feedback reinforce that place however go additional by explaining the reasoning. His “expertise that works for you” framing suggests Google sees a rigidity between promoting and the assistant relationship it desires Gemini to construct.
Wanting Forward
Google is snug increasing advertisements the place consumer intent is express, like search queries triggering AI Overviews. The corporate is holding again the place intent is much less outlined and the connection is extra private.
How lengthy Google maintains its present place relies upon partly on how customers reply to promoting in rival assistants.
Featured Picture: Screenshot from: youtube.com/@axios, January 2026.
