As nifty and useful as ChatGPT, OpenAI’s popular chatbot, may be, the ad- free ride for its free version may be coming to an end.
In an interview with the Financial Times, OpenAI CFO Sarah Friar didn’t rule out the possibility of showing ads to non-paying ChatGPT users in the future, although the company has many concerns about doing so. The executive sees ads as a way to increase profits, as the cost of keeping AI servers running is high.
At present, OpenAI is currently valued at $150 billion, and representatives have stated that the company has spent $5 billion this year on AI training. Selling ad slots would offer a way to monetize the platform while keeping it available to free users.
Earlier this year, OpenAI hired multiple advertising talents from Meta and Google, corroborating the company’s plans. However, Friar says that OpenAI needs to be “thoughtful about when and where” ads will be implemented. Friar also suggested that this won’t happen in the near future. The report also indicated that OpenAI CEO Sam Altman may be “warming up to the idea” of advertising, but “doesn’t like them [ads] in general” and that he sees ads as a “last resort.”
OpenAI currently charges $20 per month for ChatGPT Plus, a more advanced version of the chatbot that provides access to the latest language models, a higher message limit, and image generation. The company also has special subscription plans for teams and businesses.
Apple is anticipated to incorporate OpenAI with ChatGPT into Siri as part of the iOS 18.2 update. Sources have said that Apple didn’t pay for the deal, the company will promote the ChatGPT Plus subscription right from the iOS Settings app, which should boost subscriptions once the update is available to iPhone and iPad users.
The iOS 18.2 update with ChatGPT integration is expected to be released later this month.
Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.
Via 9to5Mac and Financial Times