As OpenAI explores the introduction of ads to ChatGPT, the platform may begin displaying sponsored content alongside the main response window.
Ads on ChatGPT have long been a matter of speculation, which intensified last month after a hidden code referring to ad features was spotted in the latest version of the chatbot’s Android app.
Soon after, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman declared code red due to fierce competition from rivals like Google’s Gemini. He urged improvements in the chatbot’s quality and setting aside projects like ads.
However, the idea of ads doesn’t seem to have been completely written off. When they are introduced, ChatGPT could prioritize sponsored content to ensure it appears in the chatbot’s responses, according to a Bleeping Computer article based on a report from The Information.
Ad mockups tested by OpenAI in recent weeks have included displaying sponsored information in a sidebar next to the main ChatGPT response window, according to the person who has seen them.
OpenAI confirmed that the company is exploring what ads in ChatGPT could look like.
“People have a trusted relationship with ChatGPT, and any approach would be designed to respect that trust," an OpenAI spokesperson told The Information.
ChatGPT ads stir controversy
Given how convincingly chatbots can be, and how much sensitive information they have about users, sponsored content on ChatGPT is likely to be a highly controversial issue.
Altman himself has previously stated that the combination of AI and ads is “uniquely unsettling” and is “the last resort” for businesses.
It is yet to be seen how exactly ads will be integrated. While they have the potential to benefit users by offering products highly tailored to user needs, there is also a risk of blurring the line between ads and genuine ChatGPT answers.
In such a scenario, ads could adapt in real-time, answer objections, sweeten offers, and keep users engaged in the dialogue, according to Iliya Rybchin, founder and principal at AI consulting firm Vorpal Hedge.
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