Google is developing a paid version of its Bard chatbot, which was launched in response to OpenAI's ChatGPT.
Since the search giant can't serve ads in Bard like Search does, there's always been a question about how to monetize the service.
It appears to be able to monetize the Bard Premium version announced in December, according to hidden clues on Bard's website.
The code on Bard's website reveals Google's plans for an expanded version of its chatbot.
Subject to the terms and conditions, you can try Bard Advanced for free for three months. After that, you may be asked to pay to use the Service.
Links in the code indicate that the paid version of Bard Advanced may be part of Google One.
It's not clear if the company plans to add Bard Advanced to all Google One tiers or just the more expensive tiers with more Google Drive storage.
The paid version of Bard Advanced can also take you to the next level in Google One.
Google launched the Gemini AI model in December 2023. The large language model has three levels including Gemini Nano version, Gemini Pro version, and Gemini Ultra version. Google hasn't released it yet.
Gemini Ultra should outperform other major language models in almost every way. According to Google, the Gemini Ultra edition is the powerhouse of the Bard Advanced.
According to an announcement from Google in December, Bard Advanced is expected to launch early this year.
Since the code contains preliminary details about the promotion and pricing, we probably won't have to wait long for Google to roll it out.
Google also said it is testing Bard Advance with a small group of testers, meaning the Bard website code may be part of a public testing environment.
OpenAI offers paid plans for its premium version of GPT, so it would make sense for Google to try to tap into this market.
Running large language models requires a significant amount of server power and infrastructure. Google's usual ad-based approach doesn't currently work with major language models, so switching to the paid tier could be a way to offset some of the losses.