"The initial ads will steer clear of what OpenAI called in Monday's blog post "sensitive or regulated topics," like mental health and politics, but it plans to "expand responsibly" into these subjects down the line. According to research conducted by OpenAI in mid-2025, 9.2% of queries focused on "providing consultation and advice to others." Another 8.5% of queries were about "making decisions and solving problems.""
"AI chatbots make it more challenging to safely advertise on sensitive topics than traditional search does, since the conversations are often personal and subjective, rather than purely informational. Indeed, one former OpenAI researcher resigned after the company announced its launch of ads. She argued in her NYT opinion piece that the vulnerability of user conversations - which range from medical fears to religious speculation - "creates a potential for manipulating users in ways we don't have the tools to understand, let alone prevent.""
OpenAI is testing ads in ChatGPT in the US, showing ads only to signed-in adult users on the free and Go tiers based on queried topics. Only a subset of eligible users currently receive ads, with a planned expansion to all qualifying users in the coming weeks and future tests including logged-out users. Initial ads will avoid "sensitive or regulated topics" such as mental health and politics while the company intends to "expand responsibly" into those areas later. OpenAI research found 9.2% of queries sought consultation and advice and 8.5% involved making decisions and solving problems. Critics warn that conversational vulnerability raises manipulation risks and complicates safe advertising.
Read at AdExchanger
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