OpenAI plans ads on free ChatGPT, sparks privacy concerns

OpenAI plans to introduce advertising on free and low-cost versions of ChatGPT in the US, while exempting paid users. Though the company promises safeguards, experts warn ad-driven AI could blur the line between assistance and persuasion.

New Delhi: Tech giant OpenAI has reportedly announced plans to introduce advertising in ChatGPT in the United States, placing ads on the free version and the low‑cost Go subscription while exempting Pro, Business and Enterprise users.

OpenAI said that advertisements will be clearly separated from chatbot responses, will not influence outputs, and that it will not sell user conversations, according to multiple reports.

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The company also pledged to let users turn off personalised ads and to avoid showing ads to users under 18 or around “sensitive” topics such as health and politics. The move has drawn criticism and unease from some users and experts who question whether voluntary safeguards will hold once advertising becomes central to the business model.

Analysts said that social media platforms also followed the same trend, where targeted advertising reshaped services to maximise engagement which later eroded user privacy.

Though the AI company proposed not to show ads “near sensitive or regulated topics like health, mental health or politics”, observers noted that the company is vague about what counts as “sensitive,” or how and by whom terms like “health” will be defined.

While large‑scale AI has proved to be costly to develop and run, and OpenAI looks likely to burn $115 billion over the next five years, industry analysts said advertising is the most scalable revenue model. They noted that ad models reward user engagement, and content that sustains attention could turn out to be misleading or harmful.

A reliable alternative to such private AI firms would be a publicly funded AI system, such as Apertus in Switzerland developed through its universities and national supercomputing centre. It is open source, compliant with European AI law, and free from advertising.

If OpenAI, which is flouted as a “super assistant” placed messages under personalised guidance tags about products, lifestyle choices, finances or politics they could be more impactful than the same ads seen while browsing. Such practices will blur the line between advice and persuasion, according to industry experts.