A former OpenAI researcher has left the company after the introduction of advertisements to ChatGPT, citing concerns over the platform's direction. Meanwhile, Discord is facing strong user backlash after announcing plans for age verification, though the company says most users will not be affected. In California, opening arguments have started in a lawsuit accusing social media platforms of deliberately designing addictive experiences. Additional coverage includes the technology behind the major football broadcast and new FCC restrictions on drone operations. Leer más →

OpenAI has begun testing advertisements for logged‑in ChatGPT users in the United States who are on the Free or Go tiers. The company says ads will not affect answer quality and that user conversations remain private from advertisers. However, many users have expressed dissatisfaction, citing concerns about the intrusion of ads, the handling of sensitive topics, and the fact that Go subscribers still see ads despite paying $8 a month. The move reflects OpenAI’s search for new revenue streams as it struggles to turn a profit, but it has already drawn sharp criticism on platforms like Reddit. Leer más →

OpenAI has launched an advertising pilot within ChatGPT, displaying ads to free users and those on the $8‑per‑month Go plan. The pilot includes a range of brands such as Target, Ford, Mazda, Adobe, Williams‑Sonoma, Audible, HelloFresh, and luxury watchmaker Audemars Piguet. Ads are labeled clearly and are not intended to influence the AI’s responses. Advertising agencies like WPP Media, Dentsu, and Omnicom are also bringing client ads into the test, covering sectors from retail to automotive and consumer packaged goods. Leer más →

OpenAI is piloting advertisements within the free version of ChatGPT for logged‑in adult users in the United States. The ads appear as clearly labeled sponsored placements and do not affect the model's responses. Paid tiers such as Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise, and Education remain ad‑free. Users can choose to stay on the free tier with ads, upgrade to a paid plan, or opt out of ads while accepting reduced daily message limits. Leer más →

A senior OpenAI researcher announced her departure after the company began testing advertisements in its ChatGPT product. Citing concerns about user privacy and the potential for a profit‑driven shift in policy, she warned that the move could mirror early missteps by social media platforms. The resignation adds a new voice to the growing debate over commercializing AI chatbots, highlighting the tension between monetization and the trust users place in conversational agents. Leer más →

Anthropic announced a significant upgrade to the free tier of its Claude chatbot, adding file creation tools, third‑party connectors, and custom skills. The enhancements let free users generate and edit Excel spreadsheets, PowerPoint decks, Word documents, and PDFs, and link the assistant to services such as Canva, Slack, Notion, Zapier, and PayPal. Additional improvements include longer conversation windows, interactive responses, and better voice and image search. Anthropic framed the rollout as a direct response to OpenAI’s plan to introduce ads for free ChatGPT users, emphasizing that Claude will remain ad‑free. Leer más →

AI video‑generation startup Runway announced a $315 million Series E financing round that lifted its valuation to $5.3 billion. The new capital will fund the pre‑training of next‑generation world models and expand the company’s research, engineering, and go‑to‑market teams. Runway’s latest model, Gen 4.5, delivers high‑definition video from text prompts with native audio, long‑form generation, character consistency, and advanced editing tools, outperforming competing offerings from Google and OpenAI on key benchmarks. The company also broadened its compute capacity through a partnership with CoreWeave and is seeing growing interest from gaming and robotics sectors. Leer más →

During the Super Bowl, Google presented a 60‑second Gemini commercial that framed the AI tool as a quiet helper for ordinary life. The ad, titled “New Home,” shows a mother using Gemini to visualize a new house for her son, positioning the technology as supportive rather than central. This approach contrasts sharply with the company’s earlier Olympic ad, which featured a dad asking Gemini to write a heartfelt letter and was widely seen as a misfire. The new spot reflects a broader trend of AI‑centric advertising that leans on sentimentality and practical assistance. Leer más →

OpenAI has started testing advertisements within the ChatGPT interface for users on its free and Go plans. The ads appear at the bottom of chat windows, are clearly labeled, and can be personalized or disabled by users. Content related to regulated or sensitive topics, as well as users under 18, will not trigger ads. OpenAI assures that it will not share or sell conversation data to advertisers. Industry observers note that ads are expected to remain a modest share of overall revenue, and Anthropic has responded with its own Super Bowl ad mocking the move. Leer más →

A fabricated story about an OpenAI Super Bowl commercial starring Alexander Skarsgård and a mysterious hardware device circulated online. The rumor claimed the ad had been leaked by a disgruntled employee, but OpenAI officials quickly labeled the claim as false. Investigations revealed the original Reddit post came from a newly created account and the supporting website and emails were part of a coordinated effort to spread misinformation. The incident highlights the challenges tech companies face in controlling narrative around high‑profile events. Leer más →

Anthropic announced that its AI chatbot Claude will remain free of advertisements, drawing a clear line from rival OpenAI, which recently began testing banner ads in its free tier. The company emphasized that ads would conflict with Claude's purpose as a helpful assistant for work and deep thinking. Anthropic highlighted this stance in a Super Bowl commercial that lampooned AI assistants that insert product pitches into conversations. The move comes amid growing competition between the two firms, especially in AI coding tools where Anthropic's Claude Code is gaining traction among developers. Leer más →

During Alphabet's fourth-quarter earnings call, executives sidestepped an analyst's question about the Google-Apple artificial‑intelligence deal that powers Siri. The company offered only a brief statement that Apple had chosen Google as its preferred cloud provider and would collaborate on next‑generation foundation models built on Gemini technology. The silence highlights Alphabet's reluctance to reveal how the partnership may affect its core AI‑focused business, even as the historic search agreement continues to generate billions in revenue for both firms. Leer más →

Anthropic released a series of Super Bowl commercials that parody OpenAI’s ChatGPT, depicting a chatbot giving advice that abruptly turns into product promotions. The ads, which target OpenAI users, prompted headlines describing them as a mockery of OpenAI. OpenAI chief Sam Altman responded on social media, acknowledging the humor but launching a lengthy critique that labeled Anthropic’s approach as dishonest and authoritarian. Altman defended OpenAI’s forthcoming ad model as transparent, user‑focused, and separate from conversational content, while also highlighting differences in pricing, free tiers, and content policies between the two companies. Leer más →

Anthropic announced that its AI chatbot Claude will stay free of advertisements, directly contrasting OpenAI's upcoming ad integration for ChatGPT. The company highlighted its commitment to user interests in a blog post and launched a Super Bowl commercial that humorously mocks unnamed rivals adding ads to AI responses. Anthropic said the decision protects the quality of advice and prevents distractions, while leaving the door open for future transparency if the approach ever changes. Leer más →

Anthropic announced that its AI chatbot Claude will stay free of advertising, contrasting with OpenAI's recent decision to add ads to ChatGPT for many users. The company explained that ads would clash with Claude's goal of being a genuinely helpful assistant for work and deep thinking, especially in sensitive or complex conversations. Anthropic also noted that introducing ads could conflict with its Claude Constitution, which prioritizes helpfulness and could produce unpredictable outcomes. While OpenAI pursues ad revenue, Anthropic says it will continue to develop commerce‑related features without compromising the user experience. Leer más →

OpenAI is planning to charge roughly $60 per 1,000 views for ads on ChatGPT, about three times the rate Meta typically charges. Early advertisers will receive only high‑level metrics such as total views and clicks, without detailed user‑action data. The first ads are slated to appear in the coming weeks for users on the free and lower‑tier Go plans, with exclusions for users under 18 and conversations about mental health or politics. OpenAI maintains that it will not sell user data to advertisers and will keep conversations private. Leer más →

Senator Ed Markey has written letters to the CEOs of OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, Meta, Microsoft, Snap and xAI asking about plans to embed advertising in AI chatbots. Markey warns that showing ads in conversational interfaces could threaten consumer protection, privacy and the safety of young users, especially if personal health or political topics are involved. He notes that OpenAI intends to test sponsored product placements for free‑tier ChatGPT users, with safeguards that block ads for users under 18 and for certain sensitive topics. Markey has given the companies until early February to respond. Leer más →

DeepMind co‑founder Demis Hassabis told reporters at Davos that he is surprised OpenAI has already begun testing advertisements within its chatbot. He said Google is considering the idea “very carefully” but feels no pressure to make a quick decision. Hassabis highlighted the tension between monetizing a free AI service and preserving user trust, noting that ads work differently in search than in a conversational assistant. He also pointed to past consumer backlash against ad‑like features in AI products, and said Google will monitor user response before taking any action. Leer más →

OpenAI's new ChatGPT Go tier sits between the free plan and ChatGPT Plus, delivering a cheaper subscription at $8 per month—about 60% less than Plus. Go provides expanded access to ChatGPT-5.2, higher image limits, improved memory, and more message uploads, but it lacks the coding (Codex) and video (Sora) tools available to Plus users. The lower price translates to a $12 monthly saving, though the tier will include ads that are currently rolling out in the United States. For casual users who don't need the full Plus feature set, downgrading to Go could be a sensible trade‑off. Leer más →

OpenAI announced that its flagship chatbot, ChatGPT, will begin displaying sponsored advertisements. The move follows a testing phase for free users and those on the new Go plan in the United States. By positioning ads as helpful recommendations, OpenAI aims to monetize its large user base while keeping entry-level access low. The strategy echoes recent ad rollouts by streaming platforms such as Netflix, Prime Video, and Disney Plus, which used ads to encourage upgrades to higher‑priced tiers. The change also introduces a new Go subscription tier that will include ads, signaling a broader shift toward paid features and usage limits. Leer más →