Some AI products began trialling ads and promoted slots within answers, including sponsored links and preferential placement. Balancing monetisation pressure against answer trustworthiness became a new product question.
Key facts
- Sponsored links and promoted slots trialled in answers
- Conflict between trustworthiness and commercial interest
- Formats include preferential placement and affiliate recommendations
- Users are highly sensitive to ad labelling
Big Share take
Ads in AI are dangerous because they erode trust, and trust is the only moat such products have. Search ads are tolerated because users know they will judge for themselves; AI answers carry an implicit it chose for me.
Compiled from public reports; opinions are for reference only.