OpenAI's ad shift prompts exit of key researcher
Zoe Hitzig, an OpenAI researcher, just resigned and called out the company for losing sight of key AI questions.
In her letter published in The New York Times, she warned that OpenAI could end up like Facebook—putting ads and profits ahead of user privacy.
Hitzig's letter to NYT
Hitzig's exit comes right after OpenAI started testing ads in ChatGPT for Free and Go users.
She wrote, "I once believed I could help the company get ahead of the problems AI might create. But this week confirmed my belief that OpenAI has stopped asking the questions I'd joined to help answer."
Ads in ChatGPT
OpenAI is now showing clearly labeled ads in ChatGPT chats for ChatGPT Free users and ChatGPT Go subscribers, using chat topics and past activity to personalize them.
Ads won't show up for under-18s or around sensitive topics like health or politics—and paid plans such as Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise and Education remain ad-free.
Still, some worry this shift signals bigger changes in how AI companies handle privacy.