ChatGPT推出低价广告版

This is a very important change because it alters the way we use this tool.

In the past, whether you were a free user or a paid user, ChatGPT's interface was very clean.

You ask a question, it gives you an answer, with no interruptions in between.

However, the company OpenAI officially announced this Monday that they have started testing ad features.

This means that in the future, when we chat with ChatGPT, we might see some commercial information.

Let's first look carefully at what these ads look like.

According to OpenAI's introduction, these ads won't pop up suddenly like TV ads, nor will they force you to watch for tens of seconds like video site ads.

They will appear in a relatively quiet manner.

After you ask ChatGPT a question and it finishes answering, some links will appear at the very bottom of the answer.

Next to these links, the word "Sponsored" will be written.

These two words are very important because they tell us that this is not content ChatGPT wants to say itself, but content others paid it to display.

This is just like when we read a newspaper or magazine and see a line of small print at the bottom saying "Advertisement."

Many people's first reaction upon hearing this news is definitely worry.

People might think, if there are ads, will ChatGPT become dishonest?

Will it deliberately recommend bad things to us just to make advertisers happy?

Regarding this question, OpenAI explained very clearly.

They said that ads will absolutely not affect the answers ChatGPT gives you.

That is to say, the answers generated by ChatGPT are independent; it says what it should say.

Ads are just information attached at the bottom and will not change the content of the answer.

This point is crucial for maintaining user trust.

Next, let's look at who will be affected by this change.

After all, not all users will see ads.

Currently, OpenAI divides users into several categories.

The first category is free users.

If you don't pay and use ChatGPT directly, then you are very likely to see these ads.

This is actually quite normal, because most internet services nowadays follow this model.

You don't pay, so you have to watch ads; the company makes money through ads to maintain the service.

The second category of users are those who bought the "Go" plan.

This "Go" plan is a relatively new thing; it only costs 8 dollars a month.

This is much cheaper than the standard 20-dollar Plus plan.

However, cheapness comes at a price.

Although you paid, because you paid less, you will still see ads.

This might make some people feel uncomfortable, because usually we think that as long as we pay, we shouldn't have to watch ads anymore.

But in this plan, low price and watching ads are bound together.

So, who won't see ads?

If you are a Plus user paying 20 dollars a month, or a higher-level Pro user, you don't need to worry.

Your interface remains the same as before, without any ads.

In addition, if it is the Enterprise version purchased by companies, or the Education version used by schools, there will also be no ads.

These users pay more, so the service they enjoy is purer.

For free users, there is actually quite an interesting choice.

OpenAI did not force all free users to watch ads.

They gave an "exchange" opportunity.

If you really hate ads, you can choose to turn them off in the settings.

However, there is no such thing as a free lunch.

If you turn off ads, the number of free messages you can send daily will decrease.

This is like using your chat opportunities to buy the right to "not see ads."

This is a very fair trade; you can decide according to your own needs.

If you don't chat much usually, perhaps turning off ads is more suitable.

If you need to chat about a lot of content, then you might have to tolerate ads for a bit.

However, for those users of the 8-dollar-a-month "Go" plan, the situation is different.

They currently do not have this option.

That is to say, since you chose the cheap package, you must accept ads and cannot turn them off.

This may be a rule formulated by OpenAI to guarantee revenue.

Speaking of ads, another issue everyone cares about most is privacy.

Our chat records are very private.

We might ask ChatGPT many questions about work, life, or even personal matters.

If advertisers knew this content, that would be terrible.

Regarding this point, OpenAI has also made many guarantees.

They said that advertisers cannot see your specific chat content.

Advertisers can only see some general data.

For example, they can see how many people viewed this ad and how many people clicked this link.

But the specific conversation content, who you are, and what you asked—this information will not be directly given to advertisers.

In addition, users themselves have a lot of control.

If you see an ad you don't like, you can close it.

You can also send feedback to OpenAI telling them this ad is bad.

You can even go to settings and turn off the "Personalized Ads" option.

This way, the system won't guess what you like based on your history.

There is also a very important protective measure regarding age and topics.

OpenAI stipulates that not everyone can see ads.

To protect minors, if the age you filled in during registration is under 18, the system will absolutely not show you ads.

This is a rule with a strong sense of social responsibility.

Because young people may be more easily influenced by ads, protecting them is very important.

Besides age, topics are also a filter.

It's not that ads will appear no matter what you chat about.

Some topics are very sensitive and not suitable for placing ads.

For example, if you are asking questions about illness, taking medicine, or mental health, ads will not appear on the interface.

Because at these times, users may be vulnerable and need professional help, not commercial promotion.

Similarly, if you are discussing political issues, there will be no ads either.

This is to avoid causing unnecessary trouble and arguments.

So, we can see that although ads have been introduced, OpenAI has added many limiting conditions.

So, why does OpenAI want to take this step?

Why can't it stay free forever or just make money through subscriptions?

Actually, the reason behind it is very simple: the cost is too high.

We might feel that ChatGPT is just a webpage or an app.

But behind this simple interface, countless supercomputers are working day and night.

Every time we ask a question, the computer has to perform a massive amount of calculations, which consumes a lot of electricity and requires very expensive equipment.

Someone calculated that the cost of every AI answer is much more expensive than searching once on Google.

So, if relying only on a portion of people paying 20 dollars, it might be hard to support such huge expenses.

Especially since there are so many free users, the pressure on the company is enormous.

Introducing ads is a very mature business model.

Just like watching TV, the TV station needs money to produce programs, so we have to watch ads.

Just like using a search engine, searching is free, but there will be ads in the results.

Now, ChatGPT has also embarked on this path.

This actually also marks that the AI industry is starting to become more and more like the traditional internet industry.

It is no longer a pure experiment, but a business that needs to make money to support itself.

For us ordinary users, this might take some time to adapt to.

Maybe at first we will feel that a few extra links at the bottom are an eyesore.

Maybe we will worry about accidentally clicking on ads.

But if this allows ChatGPT to continue being free for us to use, or allows it to become smarter, then this might be a result we have to accept.

Moreover, this also lets us see a trend in internet services.

That is, "tiered services" are becoming more and more obvious.

If you have money, you can buy the best experience, no ads, fast speed.

If you have less money, you can buy a cheap package, but have to watch ads.

If you don't want to spend money, then you have to accept more restrictions and more ads.

This is just like flying having first class and economy class; current AI services are also starting to have this distinction.

However, currently this feature is still in the testing phase.

It's not that everyone who opens ChatGPT today will immediately see ads.

OpenAI says this is just a beginning, and they will adjust based on user feedback.

Maybe ads will become more frequent later, or maybe less; this all depends on the test results.

So, if you haven't seen ads yet, don't feel strange; maybe it just hasn't reached you yet.

In general, ChatGPT introducing ads is an inevitable path in the development process of artificial intelligence.

It allows this technology to survive for a long time, and at the same time provides us users with more choices.

Although no one likes watching ads, in a commercial society, this is often a price for obtaining convenient services.

What we need to do is understand these rules, make good use of the tools in hand, protect our privacy, and then choose the usage method most suitable for ourselves according to our own situation.