As if it weren't already bad enough that people can't go anywhere without running into ads, they may soon find themselves seeing advertisements in upcoming ChatGPT conversations.

What's happening?

Although plans are supposedly not finalized, internal discussions among OpenAI employees indicate that sponsored chatbot results may soon receive "preferential treatment" over non-sponsored ones, according to Futurism. 

The result could look like someone asking ChatGPT how much ibuprofen is safe to take at once, only to receive an ad for Advil instead of an answer, with the actual question never being answered. 

A spokesperson for OpenAI told The Information, via Futurism, "As ChatGPT becomes more capable and widely used, we're looking at ways to continue offering more intelligence to everyone. As part of this, we're exploring what ads in our product could look like."

Why are ads in ChatGPT concerning?

Already, no matter where you look, you will find an ad, whether it's in a fortune cookie, on a refrigerator, or in a public space. Most are trying to sell people on services and products they neither want nor need, encouraging overconsumption.

This leads consumers to buy unnecessary items, which they then end up tossing out. These items typically end up in landfills, where they generate pollution that harms people's health and well-being. 

This isn't the only way ads affect consumers, either. According to the Michigan Journal of Economics, being bombarded with ads every second of the day has a detrimental effect on people's physical and mental health, as ads can promote negative stereotypes and encourage unhealthy habits.

There's also the matter of AI itself. 

AI must consume massive quantities of water and electricity to work, depleting natural resources and straining local power grids. 

While the use of AI can be beneficial in some instances — such as with DRIFT Energy, which has utilized AI to determine the best conditions for producing green hydrogen — in many cases, it harms more than it helps. AI is known for often giving incorrect answers to questions and making untrue statements, which can lead people to try things that could hurt them.

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AI can also be misused, leading to occurrences like people using Grok to create sexualized images of women and children. 

What can be done about excessive advertisements?

While consumers can't control whether companies advertise, they can control how they respond to advertisements. 

Ignoring the constant ads is an easy way to protect both oneself and the environment. Spending less, by shopping secondhand or joining "Buy Nothing" groups, is another way to ensure money is spent only when necessary, not when an advertisement tells you to.

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