OpenAI's Ad Shift: Can ChatGPT Monetize Without Losing User Trust?
Ai Tracker
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Forbes India•30-01-2026, 10:26
OpenAI's Ad Shift: Can ChatGPT Monetize Without Losing User Trust?
- •OpenAI is introducing ads in ChatGPT's free and 'Go' tiers in the US, a significant shift from CEO Sam Altman's previous aversion to advertising.
- •The move aims to expand access to advanced AI amidst rising compute costs, but raises concerns about blurring the lines between assistance and persuasion.
- •Critics like Tushar Khakhar and Harikrishnan Pillai highlight the challenge of maintaining credibility and transparency when ads appear within conversational AI.
- •Unlike traditional platforms, ChatGPT's conversational interface offers limited 'real estate,' shifting advertising value from reach to relevance and depth.
- •The success of this model hinges on brands adapting to conversational ads that encourage deeper engagement, and users accepting commercial prompts in a trusted interface.
Why It Matters: OpenAI introduces ads to ChatGPT, balancing monetization with the critical challenge of maintaining user trust and transparency.
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