In what could be a transformative development in the AI landscape, reports state that ChatGPT is going to run ads in the United States for the free tier. This aligns with everything the critics of the chatbot previously claimed. OpenAI has revealed that it would start by testing ads in ChatGPT for U.S. users on the free and Go tiers. The company has claimed that the premium paid tiers will remain ad-free in the future.
ChatGPT will now run ads
In a recent blog post published on Friday. OpenAI detailed its plans for advertising in ChatGPT. This comes after weeks of speculation surrounding this. “AI is reaching a point where everyone can have a personal super-assistant that helps them learn and do almost anything. Who gets access to that level of intelligence will shape whether AI expands opportunity or reinforces the same divides,” OpenAI wrote on the post.
“In the coming weeks, we’re also planning to start testing ads in the U.S. for the free and Go tiers, so more people can benefit from our tools with fewer usage limits or without having to pay. Plus, Pro, Business, and Enterprise subscriptions will not include ads,” the post added.
“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. That means you need to trust that ChatGPT’s responses are driven by what’s objectively useful, never by advertising,” the post further claimed.
A month ago, users started posting screenshots of ChatGPT advertising products unrelated to their prompts. Many have guessed that this would eventually lead them towards an ad-driven AI agent.
At the time, ChatGPT claimed they were just poorly timed suggestions.
In the recent blog post, OpenAI has continued to insist that it intends to put users first. “We’ll learn from feedback and refine how ads show up over time, but our commitment to putting users first and maintaining trust won’t change,” they added about this.
With ChatGPT leaning into usign ads, other chatbots could follow the pattern. This could ultimately lead to a very distinct type of AI culture.
