OpenAI, the company that created ChatGPT, is reportedly considering including advertising in its artificial intelligence products. This was revealed by Sarah Friar, the new financial director, in an interview with the Financial Times. The idea is to find new sources of income to support the high costs of developing such advanced technologies. However, Friar clarified that the company wants to be prudent and carefully evaluate “when and where” to introduce advertising, so as not to risk ruining the user experience. In fact, bombarding ChatGPT users with ads could be counterproductive, driving people away and damaging OpenAI’s image as an innovative company.
Not only that, collecting data to profile users and show them targeted advertisements could also create privacy issues. In short, the issue is delicate and OpenAI finds itself at a crossroads: on the one hand it needs money to continue developing increasingly sophisticated technologies, on the other it does not want to risk losing users and credibility. For now, Friar made it clear that there are no immediate plans to include advertising. OpenAI is probably still studying the situation to find the best solution, which allows it to make profits without compromising the quality of its products. It will be interesting to see how this story develops, because it could influence the future of artificial intelligence and its impact on society.
