According to Android Police, a recent report from Adweek, citing agency buyers, claimed Google plans to roll out ads within its Gemini AI chatbot starting in 2026. In response, Google Ads VP Dan Taylor publicly shot down the rumor on X, calling it based on “uninformed, anonymous sources” and stating there are “no current plans” to show ads in Gemini. Another Google ads product liaison confirmed the stance. This comes as Google revealed Gemini has over 650 million users, a number that likely grew significantly after recent model launches like Gemini 3 and Nano Banana Pro. Despite the denials, the article notes Google has already had to adjust free-tier usage limits due to high demand and scarce AI compute resources, highlighting the cost of serving so many users for free.
The Denial Game
So, Google says it’s not happening. For now. And look, you have to take them at their word—today. Dan Taylor’s denial on X was pretty definitive. But here’s the thing: corporate plans change. All. The. Time. A report like the one in Adweek doesn’t just materialize from thin air; it often means someone, somewhere in the massive Google machine, is running the numbers and having conversations about *how* to monetize, even if a final “go” decision hasn’t been made. Saying “no current plans” is the perfect corporate phrase. It’s true today, but it leaves the door wide open for tomorrow.
The Inescapable Math
Let’s talk about that user number: 650 million. Probably closer to 700 million by now. That’s an astronomical number of people using a computationally expensive service for free. Google isn’t a charity; it’s an advertising giant. The entire economic model of the modern internet, which Google helped write, is “free service in exchange for attention (ads)” or “pay for no ads.” They’re already testing the paid tier path with Google One AI. But not everyone will pay. So what do you do with hundreds of millions of free users? You can’t just eat the cloud bill forever, especially when AI compute is the scarcest, most expensive resource in tech right now. The math basically demands a monetization strategy.
Following the AI Playbook
And Google wouldn’t be alone. The article points out that OpenAI is already testing promotional messages in ChatGPT’s free tier. Their Chief Research Officer, Mark Chen, noted on X that they’ve paused it for now based on feedback, but they’re building user controls for when it returns. See the pattern? Test, get feedback, adjust, roll out. It’s the playbook. For Google, ads are the native language. Integrating them into the Gemini experience—whether as sponsored prompts, labeled commercial responses, or something more subtle—feels like a when, not an if. The question is how obtrusive they’ll be.
What It Means For You
For the average user, this is a slow march toward the familiar. The web got cluttered with ads, then we got ad blockers. Search results got ads, and we learned to scroll past them. Our inboxes got promotions. AI chats will likely be no different. The initial version might be light, maybe even useful if it’s for a product you’re actually asking about. But the creep will be real. The trade-off is clear: you get a incredibly powerful tool for $0, and in return, you might see a “sponsored” suggestion. Is that a fair deal? Most people will probably say yes, even if they grumble about it. But it fundamentally changes the feel of interacting with an “assistant.” Once it can be paid to suggest a brand, is it really on your side? That’s the psychological hurdle these companies will have to overcome.
