AI computation is expensive, and OpenAI has finally come to the forefront.Previous rumorsPreparing to move towards an advertising model, ChatGPT will begin testing in the United States "in the coming weeks".Advertising functionThe first wave of affected users includes those using the free tier and those using the newly launched affordable subscription service, ChatGPT Go.
The advertisement will appear below the conversation, emphasizing that it will not affect the impartiality of the answers.
According to OpenAI's official blog, the advertising content will appear below the conversation between the user and the chatbot in the form of "sponsored products or services".
To dispel users' concerns, OpenAI emphasizes:
• Clearly label:Advertisements will be clearly marked and distinguished from organic answers generated by ChatGPT.
• No impact on content:Sponsors cannot interfere with the content of ChatGPT answers; answers will still be prioritized based on what is most helpful to the user.
• Privacy protection:The system will not display ads on sensitive topics such as health, mental health, or current politics; it will also not display ads to users under the age of 18.
Furthermore, OpenAI stated that it will not directly sell or share user data with advertisers, and users also have the right to disable the "personalized advertising" feature or delete the data used to generate ads. Interestingly, users can even ask follow-up questions to ChatGPT about the ad content for more specific interaction and understanding, which is quite different from traditional banner ads.
The new affordable plan "ChatGPT Go": cheap but with ads.
In addition to its advertising policy, OpenAI also announced that it will bring the "ChatGPT Go" subscription plan, which was previously tested in markets such as India, back to the United States.
This plan focuses on low cost for beginners, with a monthly fee of only $8 (approximately NT$255), which is $12 cheaper than the standard Plus plan of $20.
• advantage:It boasts 10 times the messaging limits, file upload and image generation limits of the free version, and features longer memory and a context window.
• Disadvantages:This plan includes advertising.
In other words, if you want a completely ad-free experience, your only option right now is to subscribe to a more expensive Plus or Pro plan.
Analysis of viewpoints
This move is not surprising. With the high cost of AI model training and inference, relying solely on the $20 monthly subscription fee and API revenue is clearly insufficient to support OpenAI's massive computing power expenditures. Introducing an advertising model, like Google Search did in its early days, is the fastest way to monetize its huge free user base.
What's particularly intriguing is the positioning of "ChatGPT Go". This "paid but still ad-supported" model has become quite popular in recent years on streaming video platforms (such as Netflix and Disney+). OpenAI is clearly trying to capture the middle ground – those who feel that "the free version is not enough, but $20 is too expensive".
