"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."
"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. The functionality of ChatGPT Search and its Atlas browser is not really new."
Major AI firms are shifting toward ad-driven business models that capture and monetize user behavioral data. OpenAI introduced ChatGPT Search in late 2024 and the Atlas browser in October 2025, accelerating competition to collect online signals for advertising. OpenAI previously criticized ads combined with AI but now asserts ads can be integrated while preserving trust, and users remain skeptical about paid placements. Other companies including Perplexity, Microsoft, Google, and Amazon have added ads to AI search and chat features. Security and data experts warn that monetizing attention risks manipulating user behavior and that urgent action is needed to redirect AI toward public benefit.
Read at Fast Company
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