New Delhi: OpenAI’s advertising initiative for ChatGPT in India has made a significant leap and begun to appear on the platform, with the ads for two new tools being piloted first. A major shift in ChatGPT’s presence in India has seen OpenAI start targeting their platform with ads, with two new tools appearing on the platform for first testing. Adverts will be shown to logged-on adults (using Free and Go plans), and logged-on users on Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise and Education plans will still have an ad free experience.
The action comes as OpenAI seeks to earn more money from ChatGPT. Its largest market is in India where it has been reported to be used by over 100 million users weekly. Over 50 brands plan to launch ads on ChatGPT in India this week, OpenAI states.
Could ChatGPT Ads Become Annoying?
It’ll likely depend on how OpenAI utilises them.
Ads will be labeled as such and distinct from ChatGPT’s responses for the time being, OpenAI says. The firm also claims that ads won’t affect ChatGPT’s answers. There will be no access to users’ conversation, chat history, memories or personal information for advertisers.
Users could however find the ads obnoxious if the ads keep coming. ChatGPT is popular for its perceived ease of use over traditional websites that are cluttered with banners and pop-ups. When the ads begin to show in too many conversations, then that simple experience could change.
There’s also a larger worry: people might not understand if ChatGPT is suggesting something because it’s actually a good product or if a company has simply paid to be a part of that chat. As the advertising grows, maintaining that trust will be central to OpenAI’s answers remaining independent, it says.
OpenAI is giving some control to those who use its services too. Adverts can be closed and feedback given on adverts. Ads will not be shown alongside sensitive subjects such as health, mental health and politics.
Advertising might be a means for OpenAI to fund a lower-cost, free version of ChatGPT. Whether these ads will be limited and useful for users or simply become more of a ride-or-write experience of ChatGPT remains to be seen.
As long as they don’t place ads in the answers, most people will agree, if ads are clearly separated from the answers and not intrusive. However, if ads become the focus of discussions, user frustration may escalate rapidly.
