Alphabet's (GOOGL) Google is reportedly considering charging for some 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:✱artificial intelligence-powered (AI) search features, in what would mark the first time the tech giant has moved its 🥃core search product behind a paywall.

Some of Google's products have premium features like increased cloud storage or 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:more advanced models of the 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:Gemini AI chatbot, but selling ads has long been the 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:primary revenue draw for its search engine. Now, the tech giant is considering trying to take advantage of its search dominance by adding certain AI search features to its existing premium subscription programs, according to a Financial Times report.

The potential changes come after more than a year of Google's work to understand what impact AI chatbots like 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:OpenAI's ChatGPT could have on Google's seaܫrch revenue, as chatbot usage could lead some people to limit or stop using Google Search, diminishing their likeli꧂hood of seeing or clicking on the ads that generate billions of dollars every year.

Some AI features have been tested with certain groups of users, like adding an 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:AI-generated summary for a search while also displaying the same page of links and advertising underneath, but that couꦰld create a similar problem.

The AI-generated summary is more expensive to create for users, as 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:AI models need more computing power than the normal search engine, and getting a sufܫficient answer from the AI summary could still mean users don't click through to spon𝐆sored links, meaning Google could be cutting into its own revenue while providing a free service that is more expensive to operate.

Citing people familiar with the company's thinking, the FT reported that no final decisions have been made on which tiers of the existing subscription models features will be added to, or which AI features could be added.

Google told Investopedia that the company is "not working on or considering" creating an ad-free search experience, but that it will “continue to build new premium capabilities and services to enhance our subscription offerings across Google."

“For years, we’ve been reinventing Search to help people access information in the way that’s most natural to them,” Google said. “With our generative AI experiments in Search, we’ve already served billions of queries, and we’re seeing 🧸positive Search query growth in all of our major markets. We’re continuing to rapidly improve the product to serve new user needs.”

Google parent Alphabet's stock price fell 2.8% to $151.94 Thursday. Shares have gained close to 9% so far this year, and nearly 45% in the last 12 months as it has benefitted from the AI boom.

UPDATE—April 4, 2024: This article has been updated to reflect a statement by Google and more recent share price information.