Google says its investments in AI are driving more searches

Alphabet says its investments in artificial intelligence are driving faster growth in Google searches, including searches with commercial intent. Chief executive Sundar Pichai said the year-on-year query growth rate was the highest in five years, as the company reported higher revenue across its main businesses.

Revenue for the quarter reached $127.6 billion, up 25 per cent year on year, while Google Search and other revenue rose 12 per cent. Google Cloud revenue more than doubled, increasing 103 per cent to $30.7 billion. Alphabet also reported more than 150 million YouTube Music and Premium subscribers worldwide, including people on trials.