Your AI chatbot just got sponsored: Google starts putting ads into AI conversations

In a major shift that could reshape how we interact with AI, Google has quietly begun injecting ads directly into conversations with third-party AI chatbots, signalling a bold new phase in its advertising empire.

According to a Bloomberg report, the tech giant has been testing the move with AI search startups like iAsk and Liner since early this year. Now, it’s rolling out the feature more broadly through its AdSense for Search programme, making a clear push to cash in on the exploding popularity of generative AI tools like ChatGPT, Claude, and Perplexity.

A Google spokesperson confirmed to Bloomberg: "AdSense for Search is available for websites that want to show relevant ads in their conversational AI experiences." Translation? Your chatbot chats might soon start looking a lot more like sponsored content.

For years, Google has ruled the digital advertising world, so much so that it’s now fighting antitrust lawsuits in the US. But as more people turn to AI chatbots instead of Google Search, the company is under pressure to reinvent how it delivers ads and protect its multi-billion dollar revenue stream.

Until now, AI chatbots have mostly been ad-free zones. But Google's latest experiment could crack open a new frontier for targeted ads, one where promotional content is embedded right in the flow of a conversation.

It’s not just a technical shift, it’s a philosophical one. As Google tries to merge its ad-tech muscle with its growing AI ambitions, the line between useful information and advertising may become blurrier than ever.