During the 2026 Davos Forum, a discussion about the boundaries of AI commercialization sparked industry debate. Demis Hassabis, CEO of Google DeepMind, expressed his "surprise" at OpenAI's rapid introduction of ads into ChatGPT during an interview.

Hassabis pointed out that while advertising has supported the development of most consumer internet services, trust is the core in the AI assistant field. He believes that chatbots, designed to provide assistance, operate on a completely different logic than traditional search engines. Users expect personalized services based on trust from "assistants," and the introduction of ads may compromise the purity of this experience.

OpenAI previously announced that it would test ads for high-frequency users who are not subscribed, among its 800 million weekly active users, to address growing infrastructure and energy costs. However, Hassabis clearly stated that Google is "very cautious" about monetizing AI services internally and currently has no plans to add ads to chatbots like Gemini.

He further revealed that although advertising is Google's core business, the DeepMind team has not felt pressure from the parent company to make "knee-jerk" decisions. At present, Google prefers to observe user feedback and focuses on improving the personalized practicality of assistants by accessing user information (such as Gmail and photos), rather than rushing to monetize.

Key Points:

  • 😮 Surprised by the Pace: Demis Hassabis expressed surprise at OpenAI's early launch of ad testing, believing it might challenge users' trust in AI assistants.

  • ⚖️ Conflict in Business Models: Hassabis believes AI assistants should be user-centric, not platforms for ad delivery like search engines, and monetization methods require more careful research.

  • 🧘 Google Remains Patient: Google confirmed that it currently has no plan to place ads in AI chatbots and will continue to prioritize optimizing the personalized service experience of Gemini.