Google has started experimenting with ad placements inside conversations powered by third-party AI chatbots, marking an early effort to extend its advertising business into emerging AI-driven interfaces.
Highlights
According to a report by Bloomberg, the company began conducting these trials earlier in 2024 with AI search startups including iAsk and Liner.
This pilot project reflects a broader trend in user behavior, with more people turning to AI chatbots for quick answers, summaries, and recommendations—functions that were once primarily served by traditional search engines.
Platforms like OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Anthropic’s Claude, and Perplexity are increasingly positioned as go-to sources for interactive information access, prompting companies like Google to explore new advertising formats within these environments.
A Google spokesperson confirmed that this initiative is part of its AdSense for Search (AFS) program, which allows website publishers and platforms to display contextual ads within AI chatbot interactions.
The approach repurposes Google’s well-established ad-serving infrastructure for conversational AI use cases, potentially opening up a new revenue stream as digital consumption habits shift.
The company has been steadily advancing its AI strategy over the past year. Its Gemini family of AI models has seen ongoing development, and in late 2023, Google began integrating ads into its AI Overviews—automatically generated summaries shown for select search queries.
These efforts suggest a broader strategy to monetize AI-generated content and interfaces.
The expansion of ad testing into chatbot conversations appears to be a natural extension of this direction, with Google aiming to prepare for a future where conversational AI tools play a central role in information retrieval and online browsing.
While monetization in this space remains experimental across the industry, the move may signal early groundwork toward scalable AI advertising models.
Companies and Technologies Involved
1. iAsk: AI Search Engine Tailored for Gen Z
One of the companies participating in Google’s ad trial, iAsk, is an AI-based “Answer Engine” focused on Gen Z users. Since its launch, iAsk has handled over 350 million search queries and sees daily volumes of up to 1.5 million.
The platform is positioned as a cleaner alternative to traditional search, aiming to deliver direct and accurate answers without excessive ads or SEO manipulation. The company recently raised $4.2 million in seed funding and launched an API with a waitlist of over 7,000 developers and businesses.
2. AdSense for Search: Monetization for AI Interfaces
Google’s AdSense for Search enables platforms to integrate monetized search experiences. Under the model, publishers receive 51% of ad revenue generated through clicks, with the remaining 49% going to Google.
Ads are matched to user input using AI algorithms designed for contextual relevance, helping AI platforms integrate advertising while preserving user experience. This framework allows companies to monetize AI-powered interfaces without requiring intrusive ad formats.
3. Broader Industry Testing of Ads in AI Tools
The concept of monetizing AI chatbot interactions is being explored by other companies as well. For example, Adzedek is testing ad placements inside custom GPTs from OpenAI’s GPT store and applications built with OpenAI’s API.
Adzedek operates on a pay-per-click basis, offering chatbot developers 75% of the generated ad revenue. These efforts illustrate an industry-wide interest in building sustainable monetization strategies for AI platforms.
As of now, Google has not released detailed information about the future scope of this initiative or how ad targeting and user transparency will be managed in AI-driven interactions.
The ongoing testing phase raises important questions around user experience, consent, and the role of advertising in AI-mediated environments—all of which are expected to be key considerations as the strategy evolves.
