OpenAI announced Monday that it has begun testing ads in the U.S. for users of its free and Go subscription tiers.
The latest Go plan launched globally in mid-January with a subscription price as low as $8 per month in the US.
Subscribers to OpenAI’s paid plans, including Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise, and Education tiers, will not see ads.
In a blog post, OpenAI tried to address concerns about how advertising might affect user experience: “Ads do not affect the answers ChatGPT provides, and conversations with ChatGPT remain private from advertisers. Our goal is for ads to support broader access to more powerful ChatGPT features while maintaining the trust people place in ChatGPT for important, personal tasks.”
The move, announced by the company last month, drew ridicule from archrival Anthropic in a series of Super Bowl ads it ran yesterday.
Anthropic scoffed at the idea that some AI companies like OpenAI would soon include ads in its TV commercials, demonstrating how unintegrated ads can disrupt the consumer experience. This is depicted on screen by bleary-eyed actors playing AI chatbots, who deliver advice accompanied by mistargeted advertisements.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman was extremely annoyed by his competitor’s jabs, calling the ads “dishonest” and Anthropic an “authoritarian company.”
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Consumers have so far opposed the idea of AI responses containing advertising. OpenAI faced backlash late last year when it tested an app offering that looked like unsolicited advertising. Nonetheless, AI companies need to generate revenue from popular chatbots to cover the costs of technology development and business growth.
Although understandable, critics are concerned that the ads could influence ChatGPT’s answers. OpenAI denied this, saying in its announcement that ads would be optimized based on “what’s most helpful to you.” The company says ads will always be clearly labeled as sponsored and will be separated from organic content.
In tests, OpenAI attempted to match ads to users based on conversation topics, past chats, and previous ad interactions. For example, a user searching for recipes might see ads for grocery delivery services or meal kits, the company says. OpenAI said advertisers have no access to user data and can only aggregate information about ad performance, such as views and clicks.
You can also view and delete your interactions with ads at any time. Additionally, OpenAI said users will be able to close ads, share feedback, see why they were shown an ad, and manage ad personalization settings.
Ads will not be shown to users under 18 years of age or near sensitive or regulated topics such as health, politics, or mental health.
