At the World Economic Forum in Davos, Demis Hassabis, chief executive of Google DeepMind, signaled caution over the rapid introduction of advertising into AI assistants, following confirmation that OpenAI has begun testing ads within its chatbot. Hassabis said he was surprised by how early OpenAI had moved, noting that while advertising has long funded consumer internet services, its role inside AI assistants raises questions around trust and user experience. He said that Google has no current plans to introduce ads into its AI chatbot, preferring to observe user reaction and evaluate monetization carefully rather than make reactive decisions driven by short-term pressure.
In parallel, Google is advancing a different strategy centered on personalization rather than advertising. The company has begun rolling out new opt-in features that allow Gemini to deliver more tailored responses in Search’s AI Mode by drawing on user data from Gmail and Photos. Hassabis framed the chatbot as a long-term digital assistant designed to work in the user’s interest, distinguishing it from traditional search-based advertising models. Together, the contrasting approaches highlight a growing divide in how leading AI developers balance revenue generation, personalization, and user trust as conversational AI becomes more deeply embedded in daily life.
