I Asked ChatGPT 500 Questions. Here Are the Ads I Saw Most Often
TL;DR
OpenAI has started showing ads on ChatGPT's free tier in the US – a journalist sent 500 prompts to map the pattern.
Key Points
- Ads appear contextually, tied to the topic of the query: travel questions trigger travel ads.
- Ad frequency and placement vary significantly; not every response includes an ad.
- OpenAI is monetizing its massive free user base while keeping its subscription tier intact.
Nauti's Take
Anyone who thought OpenAI was a non-profit education project can now wake up: the company is following the oldest playbook on the internet – gather free users first, monetize with ads later. The contextual potential is remarkable: a chatbot that knows exactly what you need right now is an advertiser's dream and a privacy advocate's nightmare.
Until OpenAI discloses which user data feeds into ad targeting, the 'free' tier deserves healthy skepticism.
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