Well, well, well. If you needed one more sign to start cozying up to a local AI model on your own computer, here it is. It looks like ChatGPT might be getting ready to show you an ad right after it helps you draft a breakup text. Awkward.

A sharp-eyed reverse engineer named Tibor Blaho dug into the latest ChatGPT Android beta and found strings of code referencing an ad system. That’s tech-sleuth speak for “the ads are in the walls, people.” They’re not live yet, but the scaffolding is definitely being built. It’s the digital equivalent of spotting the brackets where the supermarket will soon hang “BUY ONE GET ONE FREE” signs in the library.

It’s just funny, isn’t it? We’ve gone from marveling at artificial intelligence to potentially getting interrupted by a mattress commercial mid-poem. Imagine asking for a tragic haiku about lost love and getting a sponsored suggestion for premium therapy apps before the final syllable. The future is poetic, and also brought to you by SquareSpace.

This also creates a hilarious new category of prompt engineering: “How do I word this request so it doesn’t trigger a relevant ad?” You’ll be trying to get recipe ideas and suddenly find yourself tactically avoiding keywords like “quick,” “easy,” or “delicious” to dodge a food delivery coupon. It’s like a game, but the prize is just getting the bare minimum service you originally signed up for.

So, while the big guys are figuring out how to monetize your every thought, remember the humble local model. It might not know every fact under the sun, but it also won’t try to sell you a sun lamp while you’re asking about seasonal depression. Sometimes, the best AI is the one that’s just happy to see you, with no ulterior motives.