OpenAI to show ads on free ChatGPT in India
OpenAI is starting to display advertisements on ChatGPT's free version in India. This affects millions of users who rely on the free tier to access the AI chatbot.
OpenAI, the company behind the popular ChatGPT AI chatbot, is rolling out a new change in India: ads will soon appear on the free version of ChatGPT, as well as the cheaper "Go" tier subscription option.
India is a huge market for ChatGPT. The country has over 100 million people using ChatGPT every week — that's roughly the population of Japan. Most of these users are on the free plan or the lower-cost Go tier (a subscription option that costs less than the premium version).
Why is OpenAI doing this? The company needs to find ways to make money. Right now, the free version doesn't generate revenue — OpenAI simply gives it away to build a large user base. By introducing ads, OpenAI can earn money from advertisers while still keeping the service free for users.
If you use ChatGPT for free in India, you'll start seeing advertisements mixed in with your results. If you pay for a higher-tier subscription, you typically won't see ads. This is a common business model: free users see ads, paying customers don't.
Original source: TechCrunch AI