Google is in trouble and I am not surprised at all that they are looking at a paid subscription model for a new kind of search:

Google began testing an experimental AI-powered search service in May last year, presenting more detailed answers to queries while also continuing to present users with links to further information and advertising. However, it has been slow to add any of the features from what it calls its “Search Generative Experience” experiment to its main search engine.

These kinds of search results, which include an “AI-powered snapshot”, are more costly for Google to serve up than its traditional responses because generative AI consumes a lot more computing resources. It has offered access to SGE to only a select few users, including some subscribers to its Google One bundle that offers benefits such as extra cloud storage for a monthly fee.

Just today ChatGPT 4 answered a basic question — how to do multivariate regression in Excel — with a response miles better than the SEO spam I got from an online search. Having abandoned Google more than a decade ago, I won’t shed any tears.