According to The Verge, OpenAI is exploring various ways to increase revenue, including the possibility of introducing ads in ChatGPT. Nick Turley, head of ChatGPT, said in an interview that he "does not completely rule out" this option, but emphasized that advertising must be "very careful and tasteful" to ensure it does not affect the user experience.
Turley pointed out that OpenAI may adopt different business models for different products in the future. "ChatGPT may not be suitable for advertisements because it needs to closely serve user goals," he said, "but this does not mean we will not use an ad model in other products." He also emphasized that the subscription model still has great potential for growth and there are many opportunities yet to be explored.
According to a report by Bloomberg in March, OpenAI expects subscription revenue to reach 1.27 billion dollars (approximately 9.1166 billion yuan) this year, more than three times the 370 million dollars in 2024. However, the company is still operating at a loss and is expected to achieve positive cash flow only by 2029. Currently, the total number of ChatGPT users has exceeded 700 million, with about 20 million paid subscribers. Turley believes that the large free user base is not a burden, but an important opportunity for differentiated paid products.
Regarding the ad model, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has taken a cautious approach. Last year, during a conversation at Harvard Business School, he said that combining ads with AI made him "uncomfortable" and would be considered as a "last resort." However, in a podcast episode in June this year, he added that he was "not entirely against" it.