The search engine giant has become the biggest of its kind in history since it was launched in 1998 and whilst the corporation does charge for certain features such as their AI assistant, their initial product has aways remained free of charge.

But according to reports in the Financial Times, the tech company is "mulling over" the idea of charging users for certain search results, although this does not mean such a service would be ad-free.

But in responding to queries, a spokesperson for Google informed Sky News, “We’re not working on or considering an ad-free search experience."

If the reported plans do come to fruition, it would mark the first time that Google have ever hidden some of their results behind a paywall.

Meanwhile, Google recently revealed their plans to restrict the election-related questions users can ask its Gemini chatbot.

A Google spokesperson told the BBC: "As we shared last December, in preparation for the many elections happening around the world in 2024 and out of an abundance of caution, we're restricting the types of election-related queries for which Gemini will return response."

In a blog post, the company explained: "Out of an abundance of caution on such an important topic, we have begun to roll out restrictions on the types of election-related queries for which Gemini will return responses.

"We take our responsibility for providing high-quality information for these types of queries seriously, and are continuously working to improve our protections."