OpenAI's CFO has come under fire for defending the company's decision to introduce ads into its popular chatbot ChatGPT, but Friar argues that this move is a crucial step in making AI more accessible to people who can't afford it.
In a speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, OpenAI's Chief Financial Officer Sarah Friar emphasized that the company needs to establish a strong business model in order to achieve its goal of bringing artificial general intelligence (AGI) to the wider population. She stated that AI should be used for the benefit of humanity as a whole, not just those who can afford it.
The introduction of ads in the free version of ChatGPT has been met with skepticism by some, particularly in an industry where computing power and staffing costs are already significant challenges. However, Friar argued that this move is necessary to scale the ad model and make it workable.
She noted that the decision to introduce ads was not taken lightly and came after careful consideration of the timing. When asked if she believed it was premature, Friar responded by saying that a small-scale ad model would not be effective, citing OpenAI's 800 million weekly active users as evidence that they are far beyond many other companies in terms of scale.
Friar's comments have been met with interest from rival Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis, who described the move as "interesting" and wondered if it was an early sign that something is amiss. However, Friar pushed back on this, arguing that being at scale is essential for ad models to be successful.
The introduction of ads marks a significant shift in OpenAI's approach to monetizing its popular chatbot, which has been hailed as a game-changer in the field of AI. As the company continues to grow and expand, it will be interesting to see how this move plays out and whether it ultimately helps or hinders its goal of making AGI more accessible to everyone.
In a speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, OpenAI's Chief Financial Officer Sarah Friar emphasized that the company needs to establish a strong business model in order to achieve its goal of bringing artificial general intelligence (AGI) to the wider population. She stated that AI should be used for the benefit of humanity as a whole, not just those who can afford it.
The introduction of ads in the free version of ChatGPT has been met with skepticism by some, particularly in an industry where computing power and staffing costs are already significant challenges. However, Friar argued that this move is necessary to scale the ad model and make it workable.
She noted that the decision to introduce ads was not taken lightly and came after careful consideration of the timing. When asked if she believed it was premature, Friar responded by saying that a small-scale ad model would not be effective, citing OpenAI's 800 million weekly active users as evidence that they are far beyond many other companies in terms of scale.
Friar's comments have been met with interest from rival Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis, who described the move as "interesting" and wondered if it was an early sign that something is amiss. However, Friar pushed back on this, arguing that being at scale is essential for ad models to be successful.
The introduction of ads marks a significant shift in OpenAI's approach to monetizing its popular chatbot, which has been hailed as a game-changer in the field of AI. As the company continues to grow and expand, it will be interesting to see how this move plays out and whether it ultimately helps or hinders its goal of making AGI more accessible to everyone.
I'm not sure if introducing ads is the right move for ChatGPT... I mean, it's good that OpenAI wants to make AI more accessible, but ads just kinda feel like they're gonna bring down the vibe, you know? 
It's like, their goal of making AGI for everyone should be all about empowering people, not nickel-and-diming them. 
But at the same time, I get where Friar is coming from - she does say that this move is necessary to scale things up... 
And yeah, OpenAI is already super huge with 800 million weekly active users, so it's gotta be worth a shot, right? 
Still, I'm a bit skeptical about how this ad model will shake out. Only time (and some serious user feedback) will tell if it all works out for the best 
I gotta say, I'm kinda torn about this whole ad thing on ChatGPT. On one hand, I get what Friar is saying - AI's got to be made accessible to all, not just the wealthy. It's crazy how expensive it is to develop and maintain these systems... like, my old laptop from 2018 can barely handle some basic tasks, let alone fancy AI stuff 
. And let's be real, 800 million weekly active users is HUGE 
. Can't wait to see how this plays out and if it brings AI to everyone, not just the privileged few 
!
And what about all the ads? Are we just gonna be bombarded with them every time we use it? 
but i think friar has a point 
the company needs to make some cash to keep going 
chatgpt is already super popular so its not like they're gonna lose users or anything 
I gotta say, I'm all for making AI more accessible, but ads in ChatGPT? 
I mean, come on, Sarah Friar! You're not trying to nickel-and-dime people who just want to learn from the bot, right? 
800 million weekly active users is a huge number, but it's also true that most of those people aren't gonna be shelling out cash to use the free version. It's like asking people if they'd pay for air or water - like, no brainer! 
I think Sarah Friar makes some legit points about needing a solid business model to make AI more inclusive 
. And yeah, 800 million users is no joke - that's like, a whole new level of scale 
! Of course, it's always gonna be a debate about whether introducing ads is right or not 
