Google Rolls Out AI Summaries with Ads, But Won't Share Revenue with Source Websites
Brook.X
Google has recently expanded its AI Summaries feature to mobile users in the US market. Powered by Google's Gemini artificial intelligence model, this feature compiles overviews for users based on search results and other data when they search for keywords.
The advantage of AI Summaries for users is that they can get answers without having to click through to various websites, saving time for most non-professional users. However, the accuracy of AI Summaries is another matter.
At the same time, Google has begun incorporating advertisements into AI Summaries. In May of this year, Google tested adding advertisements within AI Summaries, and now these AI-driven ads will be automatically placed near the associated answer results.
Google's demonstration shows three ad placements: above the AI Summary, below it, and within an inline ad module. This ensures that users see plenty of ads without clicking on other search results, preventing a decrease in ad revenue for Google (since users might scroll down and view the second page of search results less frequently with AI Summaries, reducing the number of ad impressions).
In one example prepared by Google:
The search keyword was "how to remove grass stains from jeans," and the AI Summary provided a summary on removing grass stains, with advertisements for Tide and OxiClean laundry products placed below the AI Summary.
Google will not share ad revenue with the source websites:
Although the AI summaries are excerpts from other websites' data by Google's AI model, and Google may provide reference links in some AI summaries, Google will keep the ad revenue for itself and not share it with the websites and other publishers.
This situation is not good news for websites, as users who get their answers from AI Summaries may not click through to other websites, leading to no site traffic and thus no ad revenue.
Therefore, it's unclear whether AI will destroy traditional search engines, but at least for now, Google is set to continue earning ad revenue through AI Summaries without concerning itself with the source websites.
