Gemini May Not Stay Ad-Free for Long

Like it or not, ads could soon find their way into Gemini. The app has long been a bit of a safe haven from the noisy, ad-heavy web, but that clean experience might not last forever. During Google’s Q1 2026 earnings call, Chief Business Officer Philipp Schindler made it clear the company isn’t ruling out ads in Gemini.

Ads might be headed to Gemini, and there’s not much you can do about it

As reported by Business Insider, Google isn’t in a hurry, but it’s keeping its options open. Right now, the company’s testing the waters elsewhere. Ads are already showing up in AI Overviews, and Google’s experimenting with placements in its conversational AI Mode for Search. If those formats click with users and don’t feel too intrusive, there’s a good chance they’ll trickle down into Gemini as well.

That’s quite a turnaround in a short span of time. Back in January, Google executives were saying there were no plans to bring ads into Gemini. Fast forward a few months, and the tone has shifted already. Well, money’s obviously a big part of the equation.

Schindler pitched ads as something that can actually be useful when done right, not just annoying clutter. He also pointed out that ads help scale services to billions of users, which is corporate speak for keeping the lights on while growing fast.

Moreover, Adweek (via Android Authority) had already reported that Google was discussing Gemini ad opportunities with agencies for a 2026 rollout. Rivals such as OpenAI have already started showing ads to free users of ChatGPT, so Google won’t want to fall behind.