Recently, OpenAI set lofty goals for itself to continue improving its generative AI model, ChatGPT. This decision is a welcome change based on user feedback that came off too much like advertisements. ChatGPT has a paid, premium tier ChatGPT Plus subscription service. It came under fire after users began reporting that they were being served ads for companies such as Peloton and Target. Now OpenAI executives are moving to assuage these concerns. CEO Sam Altman and his team have since called a “code red” to correct their mistakes and get the product right.
Challenging competition from Google has led to the recent “code red” push. Yet this AI arms race rivalry represents the biggest risk to OpenAI’s status as the world’s AI leader. Secondly, one of the biggest accomplishments of her predecessor was to bring Fidji Simo to OpenAI as CEO of Applications. Her mandate will be to expand OpenAI’s advertising division. The emphasis is still on polishing up ChatGPT and avoiding any negative press related to user experience.
In a follow-up post, Nick Turley, head of ChatGPT, made clear that there are no live tests for ads inside the platform as of now. He stated, “There are no live tests for ads – any screenshots you’ve seen are either not real or not ads.” This comment is meant to clear the air some, in hopes to reduce the frustration from users who have voiced concern about the alleged generated promo spam.
Though there have been no formally debuted advertisements, the OpenAI head of product Mark Chen did admit that the situation is controversial. He finally issued an apology to users, stressing that their feedback was indeed heard. Many paying subscribers took issue with this, arguing that they didn’t expect to be served ads as part of their paid-for subscription service.
Turley further noted, “seeing lots of confusion about ads rumors in ChatGPT,” highlighting the need for clear communication regarding the platform’s direction and advertising strategies. The rapid response by OpenAI executives to these complaints was an impressive move that showed their accountability, transparency, and desire to appease their users.
