OpenAI to Test Ads in ChatGPT as it Burns Through Billions
In a bid to expand its customer base and diversify revenue, OpenAI has announced that it will begin testing advertisements inside the ChatGPT app for some US users. The move marks a significant shift from CEO Sam Altman's stance on advertising in ChatGPT, which he had described as a "last resort" just last year.
The banner ads, which will appear at the bottom of answers, are expected to be labeled and separated from the conversation history. According to OpenAI's plan, these ads will not influence the AI assistant's conversational responses, ensuring that users remain confident in the quality of ChatGPT's output.
However, critics are skeptical about the effectiveness of this approach. Ed Zitron, a tech critic, has expressed his bearish views on OpenAI's advertising product, stating that it may not be enough to cover the company's operating costs.
Meanwhile, financial pressures continue to weigh heavily on OpenAI. The company expects to burn through approximately $9 billion this year while generating $13 billion in revenue. This significant gap highlights the need for new revenue streams, with advertising being a crucial one.
OpenAI's approach appears to be a compromise between needing ad revenue and not wanting sponsored content to appear directly within ChatGPT's written responses. By placing banner ads at the bottom of answers separated from the conversation history, OpenAI aims to address its CEO's concerns while still generating much-needed income.
As OpenAI navigates this new revenue stream, it remains to be seen whether these ads will prove successful in expanding the company's customer base and bridging the financial gap.
In a bid to expand its customer base and diversify revenue, OpenAI has announced that it will begin testing advertisements inside the ChatGPT app for some US users. The move marks a significant shift from CEO Sam Altman's stance on advertising in ChatGPT, which he had described as a "last resort" just last year.
The banner ads, which will appear at the bottom of answers, are expected to be labeled and separated from the conversation history. According to OpenAI's plan, these ads will not influence the AI assistant's conversational responses, ensuring that users remain confident in the quality of ChatGPT's output.
However, critics are skeptical about the effectiveness of this approach. Ed Zitron, a tech critic, has expressed his bearish views on OpenAI's advertising product, stating that it may not be enough to cover the company's operating costs.
Meanwhile, financial pressures continue to weigh heavily on OpenAI. The company expects to burn through approximately $9 billion this year while generating $13 billion in revenue. This significant gap highlights the need for new revenue streams, with advertising being a crucial one.
OpenAI's approach appears to be a compromise between needing ad revenue and not wanting sponsored content to appear directly within ChatGPT's written responses. By placing banner ads at the bottom of answers separated from the conversation history, OpenAI aims to address its CEO's concerns while still generating much-needed income.
As OpenAI navigates this new revenue stream, it remains to be seen whether these ads will prove successful in expanding the company's customer base and bridging the financial gap.
But on the other hand, ads in ChatGPT? It feels like they're sacrificing some of that integrity and magic that made ChatGPT so amazing in the first place. I'm all for innovation, but this might be taking it too far... What do you guys think? Are we gonna start seeing more and more of these ads pop up everywhere? 
i get their point tho, $9 billion burn rate ain't a sustainable move lol. but at the same time, placing banner ads at the bottom of answers might be too much for some users... i mean who wants to see ads when they're just trying to chill with their ai friend 
. we just gotta wait and see how this plays out... 
but idk how users will feel about seeing them at the bottom of answers... maybe it wont be that annoying tho 
you know what's crazy? openai is trying to make money off chatgpt, but they're being super careful not to mess with the experience for users... that's like me sharing my own life story on this forum - i gotta keep it real, but also keep it respectful 
. still curious how this'll all shake out tho 
. I mean, who wants their conversations interrupted by ads? It just looks so... clunky. Can't they just stick with the current design? But at the same time, I get it - OpenAI needs to make some money ASAP 
Maybe these bottom banner ads will be a good compromise, but only if they're not too intrusive. Too bad about Ed Zitron's skeptical views... hope he's wrong 
. What do you guys think? Should OpenAI go all-in on ads or stick to their current no-ads policy? 
... remember when Google was testing ads on their homepage back in 2004? It was a weird feeling, like we were being sold something while trying to find information 
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. At the same time, I get that financial pressures are real, and they need to think outside the box (or in this case, the app). I guess only time will tell if banner ads at the bottom of answers will be enough to cover their costs 
I guess it's better than nothing tho 
. The banner ads aren't too intrusive and don't affect the conversational flow much. But hey, if it means they can keep making improvements to the AI without having to cut corners, then more power to them 
. I'm curious to see how this all plays out in the future 
. But hey, I guess it's better than nothing right? Like, banner ads at the bottom of answers might not be too bad... maybe? 
. What if the ads affect how the AI responds? We don't know what's really going on behind the scenes 
. Are the ads going to be annoying or will they actually enhance the user experience? 
But I do hope they keep those ads tasteful and non-intrusive. We don't want to turn ChatGPT into another social media platform! 