Google is preparing to bring advertising into its flagship AI chatbot, Gemini, starting sometime next year, according to AdWeek sources. The company, which still relies heavily on ad revenue, has already tested the waters by adding ads to AI Mode in Search and to its AI Overviews earlier in the year.
For advertisers, Gemini represents a new front in Google’s massive ad ecosystem. While details are still sparse, agency buyers say the rollout is officially on the roadmap for 2026, marking the first time Google’s conversational AI will host paid placements.
The timing is notable because OpenAI is publicly denying that it is testing ads in ChatGPT, despite screenshots circulating online. Google leaning into monetization while its biggest rival pushes back on the idea sets up a sharp contrast in how the two companies plan to fund their AI ambitions.
One thing is clear. If Google turns on the ad spigot inside Gemini, it will reshape one of the most important AI products in the world and set expectations for how AI assistants generate revenue moving forward.