OpenAI, which has long maintained a "no ads" experience, has finally taken a key step toward commercialization. On Monday local time, OpenAI announced the official start of testing ad features for ChatGPT in the U.S. market. This test mainly targets free users and users who recently signed up for the low-cost "Go" subscription plan priced at $8 per month.
Regarding users' most concerning issues about privacy and experience, OpenAI clearly stated in its official blog that ad content will be matched based on the user's conversation topic and history, but emphasized that no original conversation content will be leaked to advertisers. For example, when you ask about recipes, you may see promotions for fresh food delivery, but these contents will be clearly labeled as "sponsored" and strictly separated from AI-generated responses. The company emphasized that this move is to balance the expensive R&D costs, allowing more people to use powerful AI functions for free, and high-end paid users such as Plus and Pro will continue to enjoy an ad-free environment.
Interestingly, this change coincides with the Super Bowl period, during which the competitor Anthropic ran ads mocking some AI companies for disrupting the user experience by inserting ads. In response, Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, retaliated, accusing them of "dishonesty." Despite user backlash, under the immense financial pressure of technological expansion, OpenAI has clearly decided to explore new revenue growth points through advertising.
Key Points:
🎯 Targeted Advertising: Ads are only shown to U.S. free users and Go subscribers, and are matched based on the conversation topic. Users under 18 or those discussing sensitive topics (such as medical or political issues) will not see any ads.
🔒 Privacy Commitment: Officially stated that advertisers cannot access personal conversation data, only seeing de-identified statistics. Users can also clear their ad interaction records at any time.
🔥 Industry Tensions: In response to Anthropic's public mockery during the Super Bowl, Altman countered that they mislead users, highlighting the fierce differences among AI giants in choosing business models.
