Google has some ‘good ideas’ for putting ads in Gemini

By Judy Sanhz Published February 5, 2025

Gemini Advanced on the Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold. — Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

Google is exploring adding ads to Gemini AI. CEO Sundar Pichai floated the idea in an earnings call but did not mention a specific date, according to The Verge. He also noted that the company has “very good ideas” about how it could appear in the future.

This year’s focus remains on enhancing user experience features and broadening subscription offerings. Pichai noted that advertising has been essential in scaling other Google services, such as YouTube, possibly hinting that ads will eventually come to Gemini. However, Pichai did not mention how Google plans to integrate ads into Gemini when they appear in the AI. He also said they are committed to making the products work and delivering them to a vast audience.

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The good news is that you don’t have to worry about seeing ads in Gemini, at least not this year. For now, Gemini continues to offer free or paid subscriptions with access to more advanced features. Currently, Gemini Advanced users can access options such as Gemini Advanced 2.0 Flash, Pro, Flash Thinking Experimental, Deep Research, and 2.0 Flash Thinking Experimental with apps.

For now, let’s enjoy the ad-free experience of Gemini while we can. If you think about it, Google’s business model relies heavily on ads, so it is only a matter of time before it gets to Gemini. Google has already incorporated ads in AI Overviews, so why should Gemini be any different? However, Google’s ads may get intrusive, and you may find ways to turn off targeted ads on Google.

Google also announced that it will spend $75 billion on capital expenditures this year to stay competitive in AI.

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Judy Sanhz is a Digital Trends computing writer covering all computing news. Loves all operating systems and devices.

Computing

I saw Google’s Gemini AI erase copyright evidence. I am deeply worried

Gemini Advanced on the Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold.

Update: Google has responded to Digital Trends’ queries. The story has been updated with company’s statement below.
The rise of generative AI has been a fairly messy process, especially from fair usage ethics and copyright perspective. AI giants are inking deals with publishers to avoid legal hassles, while at the same time, they are embroiled in copyright tussles in courts in multiple countries.
As the ravenous appetite for training AI on user data grows, we might be in for another ethical conundrum. Multiple users on X and Reddit have shared demonstrations of how Google’s latest Gemini 2.0 series AI model can remove watermarks from copyright-protected images.
Going by the before/after samples of images, it seems Gemini is doing a fairly good job of removing the watermarks. Notably, it’s not only erasing those banner-style watermarks, but also fairly complex overlays with design and stylized text elements.
https://x.com/ajiteshleo/status/1901484196972945872?s=61
The model in question is the Gemini 2.0 Flash, which was released earlier this year and got a reasoning upgrade, as well. It is worth noting here that you can not remove the watermark if you are using the mobile or desktop version of the Gemini 2.0 Flash model. Trying to do so returns a message like this:
“Removing watermarks from images without the explicit permission of the copyright holder is illegal in most countries. It is important to respect the copyright laws and intellectual property rights. If you want to use an image with a watermark, you should contact the copyright holder and ask for permission.”
You can, however, try and remove the watermark from images in the Google AI Studio. Digital Trends successfully removed watermarks from a variety of images using the Gemini 2.0 Flash (Image Generation) Experimental model.

It is a violation of local copyright laws and any usage of AI-modified material without due consent could land you in legal trouble. Moreover, it is a deeply unethical act, which is also why artists and authors are fighting in court over companies using their work to train AI models without duly compensating them or seeking their explicit nod.

How are the results?
A notable aspect is that the images produced by the AI are fairly high quality. Not only is it removing the watermark artifacts, but also fills the gap with intelligent pixel-level reconstruction. In its current iteration, it works somewhat like the Magic Eraser feature available in the Google Photos app for smartphones.
Furthermore, if the input image is low quality, Gemini is not only wiping off the watermark details but also upscaling the overall picture. .
https://x.com/kaiju_ya/status/1901099096930496720?s=61
The output image, however, has its own Gemini watermark, although this itself can be removed with a simple crop. There are a few minor differences in the final image produced by Gemini after its watermark removal process, such as slightly different color temperatures and fuzzy surface details in photorealistic shots.

Computing

Google is giving free access to two of Gemini’s best AI features

Gemini Advanced on the Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold.

Google’s Gemini AI has steadily made its way to the best of its software suite, from native Android integrations to interoperability with Workspace apps such as Gmail and Docs. However, some of the most advanced Gemini features have remained locked behind a subscription paywall.
That changes today. Google has announced that Gemini Deep Research will now be available for all users to try, alongside the ability to create custom Gem bots. You no longer need a Gemini Advanced (or Google One AI Premium) subscription to use the aforementioned tools.

The best of Gemini as an AI agent
Deep Research is an agentic tool that takes over the task of web research, saving users the hassle of visiting one web page after another, looking for relevant information. With Deep Research, you can simply put a natural language query as input, and also specify the source, if needed.

Computing

Google’s Gemini makes adding events to Calendar easier than ever

Gemini and Gmail apps on the home screen of an Android phone.

In a Workspace Updates blog post, Google announced a new button that adds events to Google Calendar directly from Gmail based on email details. The new button will only be added if Gemini thinks the email describes an event.

When you click the button, a sidebar opens, letting you know that Gemini has added the event. However, it also tells you it couldn't invite attendees yet. It tells you to invite them yourself by modifying the events in Google Calendar. Additionally, Gmail shows you a "Show me what's on my calendar that day" button so you know what else is on your to-do list. When you view the event in Calendar, it says an external source created it.