Could ads be headed to ChatGPT?

Are ads coming to ChatGPT? Considering the fortune it costs to run AI chatbots and the possible revenue on offer, it wouldn’t come as a surprise if OpenAI decided to go that route, Axios writes. Still, some clouds remain on the horizon — including how to responsibly integrate these ads into chatbot responses.

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This isn’t such a novel idea. Other chatbots incorporate ads through technology from firms like Microsoft and startup Adzedek, which clearly designate them as marketing. If done correctly, the ad experience shouldn’t be too different from how ads currently flood our feeds on social media or search engines.

One concern is that chatbots could become salesmen. Internet companies have already been shown to closely track user activity and plan strategically to achieve better ad targeting. Combine this savvy with a powerful persuasion machine that can sneak sponsored messages into responses, and voilà — you’ve just created a very difficult-to-detect marketing strategy.

It could also impact our trust in AI. If chatbots’ responses begin to seem influenced by ads or if the line between response and ad gets blurry, users’ trust in the technology could be undermined, Axios writes. For a multi-tn USD business expected to underpin global growth in the decades to come, we’d call this less than ideal.

Nothing is for certain yet. Sarah Friar, OpenAI’s CFO, told FT that the idea of including ads is still being weighed and that the ChatGPT parent company wants to be "thoughtful about when and where we implement them." Another source told Axios that there aren’t any current plans to implement chatbot advertising on the platform.

Must. Boost. Revenue. With concerned investors on the sidelines, OpenAI is trying to come up with a plan to increase revenue to make up for its annual bns in losses, as well as plan for newer — and pricier — projects. As speculation around ads continues to swirl, it seems possible that their multiple funding rounds, corporate customer deals, and revenue from their monthly premium memberships aren’t going to cut it.