"When OpenAI launched its ChatGPT Search feature in late 2024 and its browser, ChatGPT Atlas, in October 2025, it kicked off a race to capture online behavioral data to power advertising. It's part of a yearslong turnabout by OpenAI, whose CEO Sam Altman once called the combination of ads and AI "unsettling" and now promises that ads can be deployed in AI apps while preserving trust."
"In 2024, AI search company Perplexity started experimenting with ads in its offerings. As a security expert and data scientist, we see these examples as harbingers of a future where AI companies profit from manipulating their users' behavior for the benefit of their advertisers and investors. It's also a reminder that time to steer the direction of AI development away from private exploitation and toward public benefit is quickly running out."
AI development has consolidated under a few large tech firms and shifted toward monetizing consumer attention through advertising and behavioral data collection. OpenAI's ChatGPT Search and ChatGPT Atlas browser collect online behavior to power advertising, accelerating a race to capture user data. Other companies, including Perplexity, Microsoft, Google and Amazon, have integrated ads into AI search and chatbot offerings. Security experts and data scientists warn that these trends enable companies to profit by manipulating user behavior for advertisers and investors, and that the window to redirect AI development from private exploitation toward public benefit is rapidly closing.
Read at The Conversation
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