Last month, the OpenAI Podcast launched, with the first episode featuring CEO Sam Altman.<\/p>\n
During the conversation<\/a>, host Andrew Mayne quizzed Altman over the potential for OpenAI to insert advertising into the much-loved AI model.<\/p>\n Many have touted the move, with the company projected to burn through $26BN and accumulate $14.4BN in losses this year, per the New York Times.<\/p>\n Addressing the speculation, Altman claimed that he\u2019s “not totally against” the idea. Yet, they aren\u2019t sure what an advertising product would look like.<\/p>\n “I can point to areas where I like ads,” said the CEO. “I think ads on Instagram are kind of cool [and] I\u2019ve bought a bunch of stuff from them. But I think it would be very hard to get it right; it would take a lot of care.”<\/p>\n Altman then underscored the high degree of trust in the independence of ChatGPT\u2019s outputs, and appeared unwilling to break that.<\/p>\n Indeed, the OpenAI head honcho believes faith in web search has fallen, as with social media, because “you can tell you’re being monetized.”<\/p>\n He continued: “How much do you believe you’re getting what the company truly thinks is the best content for you, versus something designed to interact with ads? There’s a psychological effect there.<\/p>\n For example, I think if we started modifying the output stream from the LLM (large language model) in exchange for who paid us more, that would feel really bad, and I would hate that as a user. That would be a trust-destroying moment.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Of course, there are alternative methods, such as inserting adverts outside the ChatGPT stream. Yet, Altman stressed: “It would have to feel really useful to users and really clear that it was not messing with the LLM’s output.”<\/p>\n The idea of adverts becomes even more complex, given OpenAI\u2019s recent move to release a new shopping experience<\/a>, where users can find products\/services, compare them, and follow a link to make the purchase.<\/p>\n For those unfamiliar with the experience, check out the video below.<\/p>\n