Editorial illustration for Sen. Markey questions OpenAI over deceptive ads in free ChatGPT test
Sen. Markey Grills OpenAI Over ChatGPT Ad Deception
Sen. Markey questions OpenAI over deceptive ads in free ChatGPT test
Sen. Ed Markey has called OpenAI to the Senate floor after the company announced it will begin serving ads to users of its free ChatGPT tier. The tech giant told lawmakers it plans to roll out “sponsored” product and service listings at the bottom of chat windows in the next few weeks, a move that marks the first time the chatbot will carry paid placements.
Critics argue that blending promotional content with conversational output could blur the line between genuine advice and commercial persuasion, especially for users who treat the AI as a neutral source of information. While OpenAI says the experiment is meant to fund the service and keep it free, the timing raises questions about how transparent the disclosures will be and whether younger users, who increasingly rely on the tool for homework and research, will be adequately protected. Here’s what Markey said about the broader implications.
Advertising embedded in chatbots 'raises significant concerns for consumer protection, privacy, and the safety of young users,' Markey says. OpenAI will start testing ads for free ChatGPT users in the coming weeks, and they'll appear in the form of "sponsored" products and services at the bottom of conversations with the chatbot. The company says it will surface ads relevant to your chat, though it won't show them to users under 18, or during conversations related to physical health, mental health, or politics. Even with these safeguards in place, Markey says the addition of ads in ChatGPT and other AI platforms "represents a significant, and potentially dangerous transformation" in the ad industry, as a user's "emotional connection" to the chatbot could allow companies to "prey on the very relationships their systems have fostered." Markey also points to OpenAI's statement that "conversational interfaces create possibilities for people to go beyond static messages and links," potentially making it harder for someone to recognize what is and isn't an ad in the future.
Sen. Ed Markey has written to the CEOs of OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, Meta, Microsoft, Snap and xAI, flagging “deceptive advertising” in the upcoming ChatGPT ad test. The letters note that placing ads inside AI chat interfaces “raises significant concerns for consumer protection, privacy, and the safety of young users.” OpenAI plans to begin showing sponsored products and services at the bottom of the free‑tier chat window within weeks.
Whether the ad format will be clearly distinguished from organic responses is still unclear. Markey’s outreach suggests a broader regulatory focus on how AI‑driven platforms monetize interactions. The senator’s request for answers underscores a growing demand for transparency from firms that embed commercial content in conversational agents.
As the test rolls out, the industry will be watching to see how OpenAI and its peers address the issues raised, and whether additional oversight may follow.
Further Reading
- Papers with Code - Latest NLP Research - Papers with Code
- Hugging Face Daily Papers - Hugging Face
- ArXiv CS.CL (Computation and Language) - ArXiv
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Common Questions Answered
How will OpenAI implement ads in ChatGPT?
OpenAI plans to test ads in the free and ChatGPT Go tiers, with advertisements appearing in separate, clearly labeled boxes directly below the chatbot's response. The ads will be contextually relevant to the conversation, but OpenAI emphasizes that these ads will not influence ChatGPT's core responses.
Will OpenAI sell user data to advertisers?
OpenAI has explicitly stated that it will not sell user data or expose conversations to advertisers. Instead, the company will only provide advertisers with aggregate ad performance metrics, such as the number of times an ad was shown or clicked, while protecting individual user privacy.
Which ChatGPT subscription tiers will see ads?
Only users on the free tier and the new $8-per-month ChatGPT Go tier will see advertisements in the United States. The higher-tier subscriptions, including Plus ($20/month), Pro ($200/month), and Enterprise, will remain ad-free.