It remains to be seen whether Google introduces charges for its artificial intelligence (AI) products and, if it does, whether the other emerging giants of the technology follow its lead. Perhaps every question will cost a few cents. We might have to pay extra for longer, more detailed answers. Or there could be a monthly subscription option, covering everything you might possibly want to know.
One point should surely be absolutely clear. As consumers, we should be begging Google to make us pay. Sure, free stuff is great to start with. But it also means everything is driven by advertising until it becomes unusable. Paid-for AI will be far better, and much more useful in the long run – and it is customers that will come out ahead.
It could turn out to be the biggest change of strategy in the company’s 25-year history. According to reports, Alphabet, as the owner of the Google search empire is now called, is weighing up whether to put its AI-powered search features behind a paywall, forcing consumers to pay to use them; or whether to keep them completely free, as its basic search function, email server, maps, and all the other services it provides are at the moment.
Other AI services are grappling with a similar dilemma. ChatGPT, currently the runaway market leader, has a free version and a slightly superior paid-for model, and most of the other major AI tools are opting for something similar.
This is a tough decision for Google. After all, giving stuff away for nothing has worked out brilliantly for the company. It has built a business worth a staggering $1.8 trillion (£1.4 trillion). Its advertising revenues are $175bn a year, mostly from its search engine and other related products. It has been a winning formula, and it will be very difficult for it to change now.
Related Topics- Artificial Intelligence,
- Google,
- ChatGPT,
- Meta,
- Big tech
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