It was only a matter of time. Google, the undisputed king of digital ads, is now bringing its money machine into the world of AI chatbots. According to a new report by Bloomberg, Google has started quietly testing ad placements inside conversations with third-party AI tools — and now it’s going big. The new rollout is happening through Google’s AdSense for Search programme, which means your chatbot conversations could soon start feeling a lot more… monetised.
It’s the first time we’re seeing ads show up mid-chat in AI tools like Liner and iAsk — and it’s likely just the start. With this move, Google is clearly looking to reassert its dominance as users slowly shift away from traditional search engines in favour of generative AI.
From search results to chat replies
Google has long made billions by serving ads on search result pages. But now that people are asking ChatGPT, Claude, and Perplexity for answers instead of “Googling it,” that entire ecosystem is under threat. Enter: ads in AI chats.
Instead of interrupting your scroll or popping up in the margins, these ads will live inside the chat interface — neatly blended into the back-and-forth. So while you’re asking for travel tips or the best phone under ₹30K, you might suddenly see a sponsored recommendation or promo link as part of the chatbot’s reply.
A Google spokesperson confirmed this shift, saying the programme is open to “websites that want to show relevant ads in their conversational AI experiences.” In plain English: chatbot companies can now plug into Google’s ad engine to make money — and Google keeps the AI eyeballs it was losing.
The ad creep is real
This isn’t just a UI update — it’s a major philosophical shift. AI tools were, until now, kind of ad-free sanctuaries. They felt like clean spaces where the focus was on the user experience. But Google’s move could change that forever, blurring the line between helpful suggestions and paid placements.
It also raises questions about trust and transparency. Will users always know which chatbot responses are ads? How much influence will advertisers have over AI answers?
With regulators already circling Google over antitrust concerns, this new model might draw even more scrutiny. But for now, one thing’s clear: ads in chatbots are officially a thing. And with Google behind it, they’re here to stay.
