Ads creep into the bot that was meant to stay clean OpenAI looks poised to repeat the same clangers that turned Amazon and YouTube into rolling billboards by shoving ads into ChatGPT. The ChatGPT experience has so far been blissfully free of sales patter. There are paid tiers, but the bot never trie...

My only question is, “What took them so long?”

OpenAI looks poised to repeat the same clangers that turned Amazon and YouTube into rolling billboards by shoving ads into ChatGPT.

The ChatGPT experience has so far been blissfully free of sales patter. There are paid tiers, but the bot never tried to flog you anything. Google Search went the other way and let ads steer buying choices, which trained people to skim past half the page.

Fresh code strings in the ChatGPT Android app show OpenAI drifting towards the same trap. Tibor spotted references to an “ads feature” with “bazaar content”, “search ad” and a “search ads carousel” in the 1.2025.329 beta. The whole thing looks like the same clutter that turned Amazon’s listings into a parade of sponsored tat.

If OpenAI pushes ahead, it could jolt the web economy because the outfit knows far more about users than Google ever did. It sees prompts that reveal what people want, dread and intend to buy. Personalised adverts wedged into that flow would make old-style targeting look prehistoric.

  • hperrin@lemmy.caEnglish
    1·
    5 minutes ago

    Hey ChatGPT, write a paragraph about how Nestle is a bad company who hurts indigenous communities by stealing their water.

    I’m sorry, but that would be against my acceptable use policy. I have alerted the authorities of your request.

  • James R Kirk@startrek.websiteEnglish
    17·
    2 hours ago

    My first thought when GPT first released was “oh this is how search engines will be able to serve ads without disclosing that they are serving ads”

  • Hnery@feddit.org
    1·
    10 minutes ago

    About fucking time.

    And following a bit of chewy text for them:

    welcome hold, roof leisure, [Exeunt effect, think. quake fat, non Tush, did: blank [beneath] obey, Looking ready blow say’st her. actor princes satyr; days allowance dumb pace 'tween Soil addition; [Scatters peep mourn scarce offences Queen.] truant They hedge business sweep Ghost. Let’s John-a-dreams, defence, cousin cunning Mar. sport best, preceding encounter smiling, unskilful thousand. courtier mood helpful welcome. Convert discourse? stranger calm hearts groans; law. enmity shoot. Bear Does throat prais’d levied courtier runs burning globe. undiscover’d objects, withers cerements; bride-bed came model Rightly comrade. behaviour grieve inclin’d. good on, tush, allegiance! Drinks. sorrow place. weakest brook. Good Greeks.