ChatGPT Could Bring Ads For Free And Paid Users: Worrying Times Ahead?

2 weeks ago

Last Updated:December 05, 2024, 14:45 IST

ChatGPT has both free and paid versions but OpenAI might not limit the ads to regular users and that could become an issue.

Ads on ChatGPT could disrupt the pace of AI evolution in the market.

OpenAI claims the ChatGPT business is going well and it has enough paid users to keep clearing its bills to some extent. But the company is also looking at bringing ads to the AI chatbot, not only for the free users but also the ones who are paying big to get the advanced features.

OpenAI CEO Sarah Friar was recently quizzed about this prospect, and in her interview with the Financial Times, she did give some hint around it. However, Friar was quick to follow up on that statement and mentioned that the company does not have active plans to bring ads to ChatGPT.

Ads For AI: Privacy Nightmare?

AI is everywhere and the company is making sure that the applications heavily rely on the technology in the next few years to come. OpenAI is spending billions on making its systems run, and other companies are also looking at data centre funds to run the machines.

But will that money be recovered at the cost of pumping ads into the AI tools? Going by the general practice in the industry, it cannot be discounted, even if Friar has denied any immediate plans to make it happen.

Having said that, once the product becomes indispensable, these companies will have a free hand in making the models and running them, which leaves the consumers with little choice but to cave in and live with the new paradigm taking shape. Apple has cheekily shown ads in a subtle manner for its users in the App Store, so no company will ever say that ads will never come to their platform.

But when it comes to AI, the tech has not shown enough credibility to gain our trust and till those chinks are fixed, any broader plan for these companies have to take a backseat.