OpenAI has officially begun testing ads in ChatGPT for users in the United States on the free tier and the $8 per month Go plan. The move had been anticipated for months, and competitors have already used it as a talking point in marketing campaigns.
Ads appear below chat responses and are targeted based on the active conversation, chat history, memory, and prior interactions with ads. OpenAI emphasizes that sponsored content will not influence the model’s answers in order to preserve user trust in important and personal tasks.
Free tier users can fully opt out of ads, but doing so reduces the daily message limit, effectively nudging them toward paid plans. The reported minimum entry price for advertisers in the pilot program is $200,000, and major marketing agencies have already secured placements for their clients.
This move opens a broader discussion about the role of advertising in AI tools. While the technical implementation appears clean for now, the presence of sponsors could reshape how users perceive ChatGPT. On the other hand, the tradeoff between free access to advanced technology and ad exposure may be acceptable to many.
In Brief: Tech World Highlights
• Nevada based Cartwheel Robotics, known for its compact humanoid Yogi, is shutting down after failing to secure sufficient funding to move beyond the prototype stage.
• Researchers at the University of Southern California demonstrated that independent tubular limbs of starfish can serve as a model for robots capable of moving even when flipped over or separated from a central controller.
• Researchers in Hong Kong found that robots combining empathetic speech with carefully selected music can make interactions feel emotionally supportive.
• Machina Labs raised $124 million in a Series C round to expand its AI driven metal forming factories serving defense, aerospace, and advanced mobility sectors.
• The National Center for Innovation in Humanoid Robotics in Beijing raised $100 million in its first funding round to bring the humanoid Tiangong to commercial production.
AI Trending Tools:
• ChatGPT Health, OpenAI’s new experience designed for private health conversations.
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• Grok Voice Agent, a tool for building voice agents that use tools and search data.
