Google Ad Revenue Drops for Second Straight Quarter

Google reported a second straight drop in advertising revenue, extending a rare decline as the company navigates economic concerns and tries to capitalize on recent advances in artificial intelligence.

Alphabet Inc., Google’s parent company, posted $54.5 billion in ad revenue for the first quarter, a decrease of less than 1% from the same period last year but a smaller decline than Wall Street anticipated. That is the third drop in ad sales since Google became a public company in 2004, and the second consecutive quarterly decline following a 3.6% drop in the fourth quarter.