OpenAI really is attempting to do a Corey Doctorow speedrun. Following a denial that it was testing ads in ChatGPT and then chat-based ads launching soon after, the company has announced “visual ads” for the chatbot.
Those are… exactly what you think they are. ChatGPT will get image-based advertising soon, with the initial round of testing using American users as guinea pigs. A smaller pool of advertisers will be involved at the outset, but we can expect it to expand shortly afterwards. Unless something goes horribly wrong…
OpenAI this advertisement
This is something OpenAI has actually considered, for once. Initially, the image-based adverts will pop up during ChatGPT’s image generation. These “will be clearly labeled, and remain separate from the image being created,” according to the AI company. But there’s another step involved.
“Our placement guardrails assess whether a conversation is appropriate for advertising, helping keep ads out of emotionally vulnerable, sensitive, or otherwise unsuitable contexts.” In other words, when generating images of a deceased relative to ease your grieving process (you can insert any suitable trauma here), OpenAI’s systems will call a halt to serving up ads for funeral homes or fun things you can do with a grandparent. In theory, anyway.
The company’s announcement is aimed more at businesses than at ChatGPT users, who aren’t being consulted on this. It’s part of OpenAI’s “broader ambition to help people discover products and services, evaluate options, and make decisions in ChatGPT.” If you believe that, you probably don’t check your ChatGPT answers for accuracy, either. No mention is made of how much the company needs the ad revenue, nor is there any sign of which users will be afflicted with shown the visual ads. Odds are good that free and ChatGPT Go users will be the initial participants. Folks who pay a more substantial subscription fee are probably safe… for now.
