OpenAI announced Friday that it plans to begin testing advertisements within ChatGPT in the coming weeks, a move that marks a significant change for the widely used artificial intelligence platform. The initial ad tests will be rolled out in the United States before expanding globally.
The company stated that the advertisements will not influence ChatGPT's responses. Instead, all ads will appear in clearly labeled boxes directly below the chatbot's answer. As an example, if a user asks ChatGPT for help planning a trip to New York City, they will receive a standard, AI-generated answer, followed by a separate advertisement, potentially for a hotel in the area.
Fidji Simo, CEO of applications at OpenAI, emphasized the importance of maintaining user trust in a blog post announcing the ad trial. "People trust ChatGPT for many important and personal tasks, so as we introduce ads, it’s crucial we preserve what makes ChatGPT valuable in the first place," Simo wrote. "That means you need to trust that ChatGPT’s responses are driven by what’s objectively useful, never by advertising."
The first advertisements will appear for logged-in users on ChatGPT's free tier, as well as its $8-a-month Go tier, which began rolling out to users in the United States on Friday. The introduction of ads represents a shift in OpenAI's monetization strategy for ChatGPT. The company has been exploring various revenue streams to support the considerable computational costs associated with running the AI model.
The move raises questions about the future of AI-driven information and the potential for conflicts of interest. Ensuring transparency and preventing advertising from influencing the objectivity of AI responses will be crucial for maintaining user trust and the integrity of the platform. The company's approach to labeling and separating ads from AI-generated content will be closely watched as the trial progresses.
Discussion
Join the conversation
Be the first to comment