OpenAI, the developer of the popular artificial intelligence ChatGPT, is considering introducing ad formats to the service. The move could significantly change the user experience and become a new source of revenue for the platform.
According to industry sources, OpenAI is already building a team of experts to develop and implement an advertising strategy. The company recognizes that rising infrastructure and technology costs require finding sustainable funding models. The advertising option is seen as a way to maintain free access for millions of users around the world.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman emphasized that any changes will be done carefully so as not to undermine audience trust. He said the key challenge — is to find a balance between commercialization and maintaining the high quality of responses for which ChatGPT is valued.
Experts note that advertising within artificial intelligence can take many forms — from unobtrusive recommendations to sponsored responses integrated into the context of the dialog. This format opens up huge opportunities for business, as users turn to ChatGPT with specific tasks and search for solutions.
But digital ethicists warn that if advertising becomes intrusive or too personalized, it can cause a sense of distrust among users and reduce the value of the product itself.
OpenAI has not yet officially announced a launch date for its advertising tools, but the trend toward monetizing ChatGPT is becoming more and more apparent. Perhaps in the coming months there will be the first experiments with commercial formats — first of all in the free version of the service.