OpenAI executives such as Mark Chen and Nick Turley addressed user frustration after it was revealed that ChatGPT’s interface would soon feature promotional messages. In fact, subscribers expressed their anger at what they viewed as infomercials for retailers such as Peloton and Target. From these experiences, this response was written. This dialogue serves as an undeniable marker for a growing consciousness among users of the type of content they are exposed to while utilizing the platform.
Mark Chen was previously a technology journalist at Adweek and VentureBeat. He saw the potential furor over the attacks ads. He stated, “I agree that anything that feels like an ad needs to be handled with care, and we fell short.” This admission shows players know it will take sensitivity to introduce promotional content into the user experience.
Nick Turley, the head of ChatGPT and a NYC resident, closely followed the ordeal. He noted, “seeing lots of confusion about ads rumors in ChatGPT.” To be sure, Turley is not the first to argue that there should be live tests on ads. In any case, he continued, “Any screenshots you’ve seen are fake or not ads.” His comments are intended to soothe fears that the platform is going to start covertly testing advertising on the platform.
This conversation was inspired by a recent internal memo. In it, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman announced a “code red” for the company. This directive prioritizes improvements to ChatGPT’s overall quality while delaying other product developments, including advertising initiatives. Fidji Sumo came to OpenAI earlier this year, as their CEO of Applications. He was supposed to lead the growth of OpenAI’s ad business until new leadership took over and began reversing that plan.
User skepticism remains palpable. But as one person pointed out, many of these ad-like messages. Frustrated, he said, Let me be the first—don’t do this to your paying users. Paying subscribers are letting their worries be known. They don’t want to do the promotional work because they fear that such promotional activities devalue their paid subscriptions.
Anthony Ha, TechCrunch’s weekend editor, has been pretty much living here since then. For more general questions or concerns, follow him on X @ mrrain or email him at anthony.ha@techcrunch.com.
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