A Google executive has publicly denied that ads are coming to Gemini in 2026, claiming the reports from earlier in the week were “uninformed” and “inaccurate”.
AdWeek reported that Google had told advertisers in recent calls that it was planning to introduce ad placements in Gemini next year. This would be separate from the ads already running in AI Mode – its AI-powered search platform launched in March.
However, Dan Taylor, VP of Global Ads at the tech giant has refuted the claims, stating on X: “This story is based on uninformed, anonymous sources who are making inaccurate claims. There are no ads in the Gemini app and there are no current plans to change that.”
According to AdWeek, sources described the conversations as mostly exploratory with light technical details and they were not shown any prototypes, formats or pricing.
While the rumours around Google were slammed, advertisers shouldn’t ignore the “signal beneath the noise”, Todd Baily, Director of SEO at Sagapixel wrote on LinkedIn.
He said: “Marketers are watching AI assistants closely for one reason: AI is shaping up to be the next major digital ad frontier.
“[…] A monetised Gemini wouldn’t replace search ads – it would create a new surface entirely.”
The noise around ads coming to AI-powered search engines has received backlash from marketers.
OpenAI was reportedly developing and testing an ad system inside ChatGPT. The Microsoft-backed firm allegedly then started rolling out what look like ads on the chatbot to paying subscribers.
A post on X by former xAI employee Benjamin De Kraker shows a screenshot of a conversation within ChatGPT with the option to shop at Target.
Nick Turley, head of ChatGPT at OpenAI, disputed the claims of potential ads appearing in a post on X saying “there are no live tests for ads” and “any screenshots you’ve seen are either not real or not ads”.
Since then, ChatGPT has rolled back this feature, even though it wasn’t directly an ad. But the backlash highlights user concerns over ad features coming to AI-powered platforms.