OpenAI may use ChatGPT’s memory feature to show personalised ads

New Delhi: OpenAI could soon begin showing personalised ads on ChatGPT based on the platform’s memory feature, according to a report by The Information. 

The feature, which allows the chatbot to remember user details to offer a more tailored experience, could reportedly be used to deliver targeted advertising.

The report suggests that users may face a trade-off between retaining a more personalised ChatGPT experience or using the chatbot with ads.

Focus group findings cited in the report indicate that some users already believe ChatGPT contains ads, leading a section of OpenAI employees to support introducing them. Those in favour are reportedly former Meta staff members. Around 630 of OpenAI’s 3,000 employees are said to have previously worked at Meta, including Fidji Simo, CEO of Applications at OpenAI.

Simo, who helped introduce ads to the Facebook app during her decade-long tenure at Meta, has reportedly been seeking a leader for a new team that would explore advertising opportunities for ChatGPT.

While OpenAI CFO Sarah Friar told the Financial Times last December that the company had “no active plans to pursue advertising,” she noted that the team was open to “exploring new revenue streams.”

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has previously expressed his dislike for ads. In a podcast with Lex Fridman, he said, “I kind of hate ads just as an aesthetic choice. I think ads needed to happen on the internet for a bunch of reasons, to get it going, but it’s a momentary industry. The world is richer now. I like that people pay for ChatGPT and know that the answers they’re getting are not influenced by advertisers.”

However, Altman has also acknowledged instances where advertising works effectively. In a podcast earlier this year, he said, “I'm not totally against it. I can point to areas where I like ads. I think ads on Instagram, kinda cool. I bought a bunch of stuff from them. But I think it'd be very hard to, I mean, it'd take a lot of care to get right.”