Google hints at a non-ad business model for its AI assistant

"We think of the Assistant as a fundamentally different product than search and we think it's going to be used in a different way," John Giannandrea, Google's new search and artificial intelligence chief, said onstage at the I/O developer conference. He didn't delve into specifics, beyond noting that the Assistant is built more around conversations -- tech that talks, nudges and prompts you, not just gives answers. Still, the Google SVP cautioned, dialogue and language are "the big unsolved problems in computer science." One difference could come in the business model. Instead of ads, which support search, Google may dole out its upcoming AI tech to companies and devices that want it.