OpenAI Considers Ad Placements for Free Users in ChatGPT to Offset Costs
Brook.X
Among the currently popular AI tools, some have already started to display ads to support development and model training. Platforms like OpenAI's ChatGPT and Anthropic's Claude primarily rely on subscription fees from users for revenue.
However, relying solely on subscription users for income might not be sufficient. Therefore, OpenAI is considering the placement of ads within ChatGPT targeted at free users to balance out expenditure costs.
OpenAI's Chief Financial Officer, Sarah Friar, stated that the company is contemplating introducing advertisements in ChatGPT to support its costs, likely aimed at non-paying customers. Currently, OpenAI does not have an active plan to venture into advertising, but if it decides to proceed with ads, careful consideration will be given to their placement.
Sarah Friar also mentioned that she and OpenAI's Chief Product Officer, Kevin Weil, both have experience in advertising. Kevin Weil, coming from Meta's Instagram team, knows how to implement advertising, which could be beneficial knowledge for OpenAI.
Update: In a new statement to The Register, Sarah Friar indicated that while the company is open to exploring other revenue streams in the future, there are currently no active plans to engage in the advertising business.
Beyond the ChatGPT/GPT model, OpenAI is also looking to generate revenue through other means, such as recently poaching from Google's search advertising team, potentially aiding OpenAI in monetizing through advertising.
Given the current investment costs in the AI field, relying solely on user subscription fees might not be enough for any company. ChatGPT may be the most well-known product in the industry, but even so, the income from subscription users is far from covering the costs.
For OpenAI, ChatGPT attracts users with free usage and encourages them to sign up for the ChatGPT Plus subscription. On the other hand, it provides the GPT model to developers for a fee through its developer platform. However, ultimately, ChatGPT is expected to introduce advertisements.
