OpenAI begins injecting ads into ChatGPT. In addition to free users, paying customers of the entry-level subscription will also see advertisements, though the test is currently running only in the US.
OpenAI is as previously announced following virtually all other providers of popular free internet services and starting tests with ads in ChatGPT. This comes as no surprise: in January it was already clear that OpenAI would opt for an advertising model. The ads are coming to the US first and won’t be limited to free accounts. Naturally, free account users will be served advertisements, but those with ChatGPT Plus (eight dollars per month) will also have to deal with ads.
Trust
OpenAI believes that integrating ads can happen without compromising the trust people have in ChatGPT. The chatbot’s responses remain independent after all. If you search for a recipe, you might get ads for meal boxes or delivery services. In other words, OpenAI provides users with ads based on the conversations they have with ChatGPT.
Advertisers don’t have access to your chat history, according to the company. OpenAI does collect information itself and estimates based on that which ads are relevant to you. The company emphasizes that it will adhere to self-imposed rules around sensitive topics. Chats about mental health will not currently be flanked by advertising. Furthermore, the American company only wants to provide adults with advertisements.
Rolling out personalized advertising in Europe is more difficult, thanks to privacy regulations. That ChatGPT in the EU will also get an ad injection seems inevitable. However, the timing around this is not clear.
Same price, now with ads
OpenAI is following a now well-tested pattern. Many online services start promisingly and put the user at the center. Think of Facebook and Instagram, among others. When users are acquired, a process begins that Canadian writer Cory Doctorow dubbed enshittification in 2022.
In the search for money, the focus on the user disappears and (quick) profit takes center stage. Services are not expanded in exchange for a higher price tag, but the existing offering is degraded. ChatGPT Plus costs the same amount of money as at launch, but customers now have to watch ads.
The process is closely linked to user retention and engagement. In the context of ChatGPT, think of the follow-up questions the chatbot asks, where the AI suggests performing additional tasks.
Limitations
OpenAI currently still offers options for those who don’t want to see ads. Disabling advertisements is possible, even with a free account, but then you get fewer credits. You can also disable ad personalization.