Google has told advertising clients in the past few days that there are plans to bring ads to its AI chatbot Gemini this year, according to agency buyers familiar with the conversations.
The discussions, revealed in AdWeek, mark the first time advertisers have heard directly from Google about monetising its Gemini AI chatbot.
In separate calls with at least two advertising clients, Google representatives indicated that ad placements in Gemini are projected for a 2026 rollout, though details on formats, pricing, and testing are unclear, according to one buyer.
The buyer, who spoke to AdWeek anonymously, said the plan is separate from ads in AI Overviews, Google’s AI-powered answer machine. It has been reported that Google had not shared prototypes or technical specifics about how the ads would appear in Gemini.
Google started introducing ads to AI Overviews in 2024. Last year, it added ads to AI Mode, its AI chatbot that shows up on search pages, which enables users to ask follow-up questions.
Google’s VP of global ads Dan Taylor recently told Business Insider that “there are “no plans for ads in the Gemini app” and the priority was to focus on ads in AI search.
“Search and Gemini are complementary tools with different roles,” Taylor said.
