OpenAI recently announced plans to introduce ads into the free tier of ChatGPT . The privacy implications were immediately obvious, but OpenAI reassured users that they didn’t have anything to worry about. But it turns out that reassurance wasn’t enough for Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA), who is now questioning OpenAI about “deceptive advertising” in ChatGPT.
Are ads in ChatGPT “deceptive advertising”?
In letters sent to the CEOs of various AI companies, including OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, Microsoft, Meta, Snap, and xAI, Markey says that embedding ads into AI chatbots “raises significant concerns for consumer protection, privacy, and the safety of young users.”
Like we said, the privacy implications were immediately obvious and it doesn’t take a genius to realize that. We’re seeing more users turn to AI for medical questions , questions which are deeply personal and intimate. You might argue that we already search for medical answers on Google already, but it’s different.
Asking a question on Google might come across vague and broad. For example, asking Google about a certain type of medication could be out of curiosity. But due to the way we interact with AI chatbots is different, which means a question asked to ChatGPT might come across more personal. There’s a huge difference between “What does medication A do?” and “Will medication A help with my condition.”
So much so that Markey has expressed concern that advertising on ChatGPT or other AI models could “foster new channels of deceptive advertising.” And he’s not wrong. Markey also calls on these companies to not use “personal thoughts, health questions, family issues, and other sensitive information” for targeted advertising. Whether or not these companies comply remains to be seen.
OpenAI’s approach to advertising
When OpenAI announced its plans to introduce ads, they also addressed potential privacy concerns. The company says that your data and conversations will never be sold to advertisers. They will also give users control over whether they see personalized ads. However, this is rather vague.
Sure, maybe OpenAI won’t sell your data or conversations to advertisers, but it doesn’t mean they won’t use it in some form or the other to make the ads more targeted. After all, targeted advertising is what helped Google grow its empire. If ChatGPT were to just display generic ads, advertisers won’t really have much incentive to advertise there when Google and Meta get the job done more effectively.
Plus, it’s in OpenAI’s interest to generate as much revenue as possible. Subscriptions alone aren’t going to cut it. OpenAI is actually operating at a loss , and ads are one way to put them back in the black.
