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Business motives and inevitability of AI ads

• Many see this as inevitable: Google is fundamentally an ad company and search ads are its primary revenue.
• Commenters argue AI overviews threaten the click-based ad model, so inserting ads into AI answers is “protect the golden goose,” not a surprise.
• Some think Google is moving too fast and could have waited for OpenAI to “blink first” to avoid reputational damage; others say first-mover advantage with advertisers matters more.
• Debate on whether Google’s stock is driven by fundamentals vs “vibes,” but general agreement that ad monetization pressure is intense.

Impact on search quality, trust, and bias

• Strong concern that AI answers with embedded ads will be less transparent than traditional search: you can inspect ranked results, but not a synthesized answer.
• Fears that advertiser influence will bias AI responses (“best tool for X” becomes pay‑to‑play), especially for products and politics.
• Some note SEO and affiliate marketing already heavily bias search and LLM training data, so “neutral truth” was never there to begin with.
• Others say this crosses a line: if the model context or training is quietly influenced by ad spend, users can’t distinguish paid from organic.

Legality and disclosure

• Multiple references to FTC/consumer rules requiring “clear and conspicuous” ad disclosure; skepticism that enforcement will keep up or be meaningful.
• Speculation that platforms will use vague global disclaimers like “may include sponsored content,” which may technically comply while staying opaque.

User behavior, ad blocking, and alternatives

• Many plan to block AI overviews or stop using Google entirely, switching to Kagi, DuckDuckGo, or other engines; some already have.
• Tips shared: using udm=14 to get “Web” results, browser extensions/userscripts to hide AI overviews, and custom ad/AI blocklists.
• Some argue users rarely switch platforms for ads; others counter that 30% adblock use is historically huge and suggests rising intolerance.

Are ads ever “helpful”?

• Most frame “helpful ads” as marketing spin; ads primarily help advertisers and platforms.
• A minority share cases where targeted ads led them to genuinely useful products or events, especially on Instagram or niche contexts, but call these exceptions.

Broader worries: manipulation and “enshittification”

• Strong anxiety about AI as a “perfect propaganda” or sales tool, especially for political ads and subtle behavioral nudging.
• Many see this as another stage of “enshittification” of both search and AI tools, accelerating the decay of the open web.