It’s been a long time coming, but there’s no escaping it any longer. OpenAI announced yesterday that ads are coming to the free and cheapest ChatGPT plans in South Africa, as part of a 26-country expansion. Advertisements will only appear on the Free and Go plans locally, while the rest remain ad-free. For now…
No such thing as a free hallucination
“Ads can help people discover products and services that fit their needs, including options they might not have found otherwise,” wrote OpenAI. “Since we launched ads just over eight months ago, over 100,000 advertisers have run campaigns on ChatGPT.”
While OpenAI markets the change as a boon for users in these countries, claiming it may help them discover products they may not have, it makes it clear that you can be rid of them for a fee. The Plus, Pro, and Business subscriptions, costing R400/m, R1,840/m, and up to R2,000/m respectively, will remain ad-free.
Read More: ChatGPT now connects to examples of your writing so it sounds more like you
The AI company sent out emails to users this past week, confirming a new Privacy Policy was now at play. Users can visit the settings inside ChatGPT to manage ad personalisation on their accounts. According to OpenAI’s ads principles, the company claims to keep your private information private and won’t sell your data to advertisers.
OpenAI also said that adverts in your chat will not influence ChatGPT’s organic replies. “Ads in ChatGPT are clearly labeled and separate from ChatGPT’s answers,” it stated. In the example provided by ChatGPT (seen above), the advert was clearly labelled and placed underneath the “real” answers. The free ride is over, it seems.
