Well, well, well. It looks like our favorite free therapist, homework cheat-sheet, and recipe generator is about to get a little— sponsored. A leak has confirmed that OpenAI is prepping to roll out ads on ChatGPT for the public. Because nothing says "friendly AI assistant" like an unskippable promo for a VPN service right after it helps you draft a breakup text.

According to the chatter on Reddit, where over 1300 people have already thrown their digital hands up in a mix of resignation and fury, this is really happening. The era of ad-free, clean-conversation bliss with our robot pal is apparently coming to a close. We had a good run, folks. We really did.

Let—s be honest, we all saw this coming from a mile away. You didn—t think that incredible, world-changing intelligence was just going to stay politely unmonetized forever, did you? It—s the classic internet lifecycle: something amazing and free appears, we all get addicted, and then the ads slide in like a party crasher who starts rearranging the furniture. First, they gave us a magical tool. Next, they—ll be asking if we—ve heard about today—s sponsor, Raid: Shadow Legends, in the middle of a sonnet about existential dread.

Imagine the new, ad-supported user experience. You—ll be asking for tips on anxiety, and it—ll reply, —Before I answer, have you considered the calming effects of this new artisanal CBD gummy? Use code CHAT20 for 20% off your first order.— Or worse, the ads will be weirdly specific and targeted based on your chats. Spend an hour having it brainstorm fantasy novel plots? Get ready for a relentless campaign for dragon-themed insurance.

In the end, this just proves the oldest rule on the internet: if you—re not paying for the product, you are the product. Or in this case, your deeply weird, deeply personal conversations are the product. So get ready to meet the new, monetized ChatGPT. It—s still a genius, just one that occasionally needs to stop and hand you a coupon.