What you need to know
- Amid Alphabet’s earnings call this week, Google Chief Business Officer Philip Schindler said ads for Gemini could be considered.
- First, the company is said to be pursuing an ad format for the AI mode, and if it performs well, it looks like they could be headed to a Gemini app.
- There were reports in late 2025 that Google was thinking about doing so, but this was quickly denied by another executive at the time.
At times it seems as if ads are everywhere, and this may continue as Google is reportedly pursuing a new venture for its AI.
Google’s parent company, Alphabet, held a Q1 2026 earnings call this week, and businesswire Reports are that commercials for Gemini are on the table again. To put this in perspective, Google’s Chief Business Officer Philip Schindler commented about ads, “But let’s also be clear, ads have always been a big part of bringing products to billions of people.” Schindler says, “And if done well, advertising can be really valuable and really useful business information…”
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Hearing that Google “believes” in this ad format, and will possibly put it into the Gemini app if things go well, sounds like they have my back. Can these ads be useful? Absolutely. But do we really need more advertisements in front of us? Just because ChatGPT has them doesn’t mean Gemini doesn’t need them either.
According to Schindler’s statement, it seems there is still some work going on behind the scenes, as “we will share any plans at the right time, as we have said, but we are not rushing anything here.” Our focus is here right now. According to Schindler during the earnings call, Google will first focus its approach on ads in AI mode.
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As BusinessWire points out, this will fit in well with the ads already in the AI overview; However, Schindler says there is “confidence” behind the ad format Google plans for AI Mode. It is also believed that if everything goes well then the same ad format will come in Gemini app also.
Advertising and Revenue
We join an interesting tale here, as this is not the first time we have heard About the possibility of advertisements in the Gemini app. It first began in December, when news spread on social media that Google was “in talks with advertisers” in preparation to bring ads to the Gemini app in 2026. There was little information about how users would see the ads, and whether it would be exclusive to web apps or also for mobile.
Android Central’s Tech
Do we really need commercials in Gemini? like really; Can we? If they are the same as they are in AI observation… PerhapsBut still, it’s a stretch. I see ads everywhere. My Gmail, YouTube, AI observations, random websites I’ve visited because search history is a thing. Sure, okay, relevance is all well and good. Put that aside. At the end of the day, if I want to search for a product, I’ll search for a product.
What was clear was a statement shortly afterward from Google ad product contact Ginny Marvin. “In short, there are no ads in the Gemini app, and there are no current plans to change this,” he said. Ads were reportedly the only place in the AI overview that Google focused on to remain “assistant” to which there were no objections. However, given Philip Schindler’s recent comments this week, that may change.
Alphabet’s earnings call earlier this week went off without a hitch, as the company reported strong first-quarter growth. The company posted $109.9B in revenue, an increase of 22% year-over-year. The gold star for AI was given to, well, Gemini because it was the main culprit behind the growth in search, cloud, and subscriptions. Alphabet also said it is doubling down on AI going forward.
