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Tom’s Guide
Tom’s Guide
Technology
Alex Hughes

Google denies report that ads are coming to Gemini following major ChatGPT backlash

Gemini logo.

Google is making its stance clear on an important subject: It has no plans to bring ads to the Gemini app. Recently, a report suggested Google had been telling advertising clients that it planned to bring ads to Gemini in 2026.

This initial report, which was published in Adweek, claimed that Google reps had two separate calls with advertising clients, discussing plans for ad development, but nothing was discussed in terms of format, pricing or testing.

Google has since come out to deny these rumors, with Google's Vice President of Global Ads, Dan Taylor, , announcing in an X post: “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.”

What is really happening with Google AI and ads?

In the Adweek report, there is mention of Google’s AI Mode being part of the advertising discussion.

AI Mode is a feature seen in Google search, allowing users to adopt a chatbot while browsing Google. It is separate from the Gemini system but can operate in a similar way.

This is an area where Google is actively looking into ad development and has been for a while.

“There are no ads in the Gemini app, and there are no current plans to change that. Ads are available in AI Overviews in the US and are expanding to more English-speaking countries. We continue to test ads in AI mode,” said Ginny Martin, Google’s Ad Liaison on X.

Will Gemini get ads one day?

(Image credit: Future)

In the Adweek report, it was suggested that Gemini would be getting ads in 2026. While both Taylor and Martin denied this, the phrasing of the X posts was that there are “no current plans."

With ads rolling out in other AI areas of Google’s network, including AI Overviews and AI Mode on Google, Gemini could be on the table at some point.

Right now, ChatGPT, Gemini’s biggest AI competitor, is in hot water for its alleged plans to unveil ads.

This started with reports of ChatGPT code that highlighted the potential forads. Then, ChatGPT started rolling out app suggestions that looked a lot like ads, including to members on paid versions of the chatbot.

Since then, ChatGPT has quickly rolled back parts of this feature. While this wasn't directly an ad rollout, it received enough backlash to highlight users' concerns over future ads.

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