What you need to know
- Amidst Alphabet's earnings call this week, Google's chief business officer, Philipp Schindler, said that ads could be considered for Gemini.
- First, the company is said to be chasing an ad format for AI Mode, and if this performs well, it seems like they could be headed to the Gemini app.
- There were reports late in 2025 that said Google was thinking of doing just this, but it was quickly declined by another executive at the time.
There are times when it seems like ads are everywhere, and that may continue as Google reportedly chases a new venture for its AI.
Alphabet, Google's parent company, had its Q1 2026 earnings call this week, and BusinessWire reports that ads for Gemini are back on the table. Putting this into perspective, Philipp Schindler, Google's chief business officer, commented about ads, stating, "But let's also be clear, ads have always been a big part of scaling products to reach billions of people." Schindler adds, "And if done well, ads can be really valuable and really helpful commercial information..."
Hearing that Google "believes" in this ad format, and would likely put it in the Gemini app if things go well, just sounds like their mind is set to me. Could these ads be useful? Absolutely. But do we really need more ads thrown in our faces? Just because ChatGPT has them, Gemini doesn't need them, too.
There still seems to be some work going on behind-the-scenes, as "at the right moment we'll share any plans as we have said, but we're not rushing anything here," per Schindler's statement. This is where our focus is right now. According to Schindler during the earnings call, Google will focus its outlook on ads on AI Mode first.
Article continues belowThis would fit well with the ads already present in AI Overviews, as BusinessWire points out; however, Schindler states that there's "belief" behind the ad format Google has planned for AI Mode. It's also this belief that would see this same ad format arrive in the Gemini app if all goes well.
Ads & Revenue
We get into an interesting narrative here, as this isn't the first time we've heard about a chance for ads in the Gemini app. This first started in December, when word broke on social media that Google was "holding calls with advertisers" in preparation to bring ads to the Gemini app in 2026. There was very little information about how users would see ads arrive, and whether it would be for the web app only or for mobile, too.
Do we really need ads in Gemini? Like, truly; do we? If they're in the way that they are in AI Overviews... maybe, but even then it's a stretch. I see ads everywhere else. My Gmail, YouTube, AI Overviews, random websites I've visited because search history is a thing. Sure, fine, relevance is all well and good. Put that to the side. 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 after by Google Ads product liaison, Ginny Marvin. They stated, "In short, there are no ads in the Gemini app, and there are no current plans to change that." Ads in AI Overviews were reportedly the only place Google focused on to remain "helpful," not frowned upon. However, given Philipp Schindler's recent comments this week, that might change.
Alphabet's earnings call went off without a hitch earlier this week, as the company posted strong Q1 growth. The company posted $109.9B in revenue, adding that it rose 22% YoY (year over year), as well. AI was given a gold star, well, Gemini was, as it was the main culprit behind the growth spurt in Search, Cloud, and subscriptions. Alphabet also said it was doubling down on AI moving forward.
