The question of how Google will monetize its new AI products just got clearer. Robbie Stein, Google’s VP of Product, recently confirmed the company is moving forward with ads in its Search features, specifically AI Mode and “other AI experiences.” Crucially, however, the executive did not explicitly mention the standalone Gemini chatbot service.
Some recent reports have mentioned that Gemini could receive ads soon. They cite Stein’s appearance on the “Silicon Valley Girl” podcast as the primary source. However, there have been some misinterpretations of his actual words.
Google VP confirms ads are under testing in Search’s AI Mode
In the podcast, Stein confirmed the ad integration is already underway, stating, “We’ve started some experiments on ads within AI Mode and within Google AI experiences” (via Live Mint) This confirms that the generative features integrated directly into the Search experience will become the next frontier for advertising revenue. However, Gemini was never mentioned as a product that will get ads.
Robbie Stein emphasized that the company’s primary focus has been on building great consumer products first. But he added that “users are starting to see some ad experiments there too.”
As mentioned before, the standalone Gemini chatbot service remains officially outside of this specific announcement. But the term “Google AI experiences” is purposefully broad. It suggests that any AI product connected to the main Google stream could eventually be included.
Exploring ad formats
Stein hinted that the ads we see may not look like the traditional sponsored links we know from decades of web searching. Google is exploring “new and novel ad formats” that could integrate more naturally into conversational interfaces. He sees this as an opportunity, suggesting that advertising in this new context could be “even more helpful for you, particularly in an advertising context.”
This confirms the direction of Google’s monetization strategy. The company will follow an AI-enhanced future that will still be driven by advertising revenue. While the exact format and location of these new AI ads are still taking shape, the experiments are in progress. This signals the next great evolution of search monetization for the company.
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