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OpenAI is bringing ads to ChatGPT which has become a serious concern for people and even others in the industry.
Anthropic has come out with ads that mock OpenAI and its plans to bring ads to ChatGPT
OpenAI is bringing ads to ChatGPT which has got many people worried about the future of AI chatbots and their supposed privacy on these platforms. And one of its rivals in the AI arena, Anthropic has released a few ads that depict a future where people talking to these chatbots are randomly interrupted with product placements or ads. This has understandably got OpenAI chief Sam Altman talking, and sharing his views about the ads and also using the platform or the timing to defend its own cause and reasons to bring ads to its AI chatbot in the near future.
“We Are Not Stupid”: Altman Responds To Anthropic Ads
Altman, in a detailed post on X, claims he found the Anthropic ads funny and he laughed. But then he questions the idea behind its rival with these ads, which he suggests are “dishonest.”
First, the good part of the Anthropic ads: they are funny, and I laughed.But I wonder why Anthropic would go for something so clearly dishonest. Our most important principle for ads says that we won’t do exactly this; we would obviously never run ads in the way Anthropic…
— Sam Altman (@sama) February 4, 2026
Many fear that OpenAI could open a can of worms that could change the AI paradigm and give us a future where browsing the web and using AI tools will not be very different. We see ads on Google, and most websites that you open. AI chatbots are still new but ChatGPT getting ads will unlock a market that will entertain more players.
But Altman assures people that his company will never run ads the way Anthropic has depicted with its latest series of ads. “Our most important principle for ads says that we won’t do exactly this; we would obviously never run ads in the way Anthropic depicts them. We are not stupid and we know our users would reject that,” he adds in the post.
The Classic Rich Vs Free Debate
Besides the obvious deflection about the ads, Altman defended his company by claiming Anthropic serves the rich crowd while it strives to deliver free access to AI tools for everyone. “More Texans use ChatGPT for free than total people use Claude in the US, so we have a differently-shaped problem than they do,” he mentioned.
This is not the first time we are seeing comparisons being made about access. Android and Apple have been put in the same pedestal for years, where the former is credited for democratising smartphone access while the latter serving the needs of those in the premium tier.
“Anthropic serves an expensive product to rich people. We are glad they do that and we are doing that too, but we also feel strongly that we need to bring AI to billions of people who can’t pay for subscriptions.”
However, that access is possible because Google dishes out ads (what OpenAI will be doing for its free ChatGPT version). Altman will obviously defend the intentions and decisions made by his company but to preach about serving billions when your brand has been built with the help of billions from investors across the board doesn’t sit right with many who have replied back to his post with similar views.
In fact, Google’s AI chief Demis Hassabis was asked whether the company plans to bring ads to the AI model. Hassabis, speaking in Davos at the World Economic Forum recently, confirmed that the company is not planning to bring ads in the AI chatbot anytime soon. “There are no plans to put ads inside Gemini.”
There are many ways to look at increasing the revenue streams for these companies but OpenAI clearly has less wriggle room in this regard since it is an AI-centric company without any other product or services available to monetise.
California, USA
February 05, 2026, 11:38 IST
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